Consequences of the Maou's Heart
by Shinoga Hibiki
Summary: Yuri has finally made up his mind on what to do about his engagement to Wolfram. Little does he know the consequences of his actions.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Despite the abhorrent amount of Kyo Kara Maou merchandise I own, I lay no claim to the series it's self.

Rated M for foul language, alcohol usage, dark themes, and possible mentions of homosexual sex in later chapters. If you are not mature enough to deal with these please turn back now.

Chapter 1

A blond head dipped closer to the desk's cool surface, fingers curled loosely around the stem of a half empty wine glass. Drinking may accomplish very little, but at the moment its numbing qualities greatly outweighed the possible headache come morning. Puffs of air ghosted from between pale rose lips to turn the space in front of his eyes misty for a moment. To say that Wolfram von Bielefeld, third son of the 26th demon queen, looked the picture of a heart broken soul would be an understatement. Fortunately no one was there to witness this extraordinarily un-princely moment in the so called brat's life. His study was in one of the least visited parts of the castle. In another age it served as common room for artisans living at the castle. Now only one artist ever entered the spacious room, not that most of the residents of Covenant Castle would ever call him such a thing. Morose thoughts drifted though Wolfram's mind, the events of the afternoon coming back to him clearer than he'd hoped the wine would allow.

The maids chattered shrilly as a blue blur strode past them on a direct path to the Maou's office. It seems Lord Bielefeld was on the hunt for his recently returned fiancé. Yuri had been away for nearly six months visiting his family in the other world. He may have quit school in order to better run Shin Makoku, but there was not a chance that he would abandon his family completely. Especially considering the feats Jennifer of Yokohama might be driven to should her son be gone too long. Turning the last corner before reaching Yuri's office Wolfram took a deep breath in order to calm himself. In the years since Soushu's defeat he'd spent considerable effort in calming his temper, something he'd never imagined that he would get the opportunity to accomplish. By the time he stood in front of the doors of the Maou's office he had adopted an unfazed mask, ready to greet Yuri without threats or accusations. With his pressed lightly on the door a question resonated from the room beyond.

"Gunter, um, how does one go about… you know ending an engagement?" the Maou's voice hesidently questioned. Had Wolfram not known for sure what one's own heart stoping felt like he would have sworn his own froze in his chest.

"Heika… I… May I inquire as to why you are interested in this particular part of Mazoku culture?"

"Well I've been thinking. When I first got back after the whole box thing Wolfram wrote that note breaking the engagement but when he came back nobody took it seriously. I mean come on he didn't even have to tell anybody that he didn't really want to end the whole thing!" Yuri explained his voice rising to a near whine on the last few words. Wolfram's heart begged his feet to rush him away from this incidental eavesdropping, yet it seemed his feet had turned to traitors.

"Hum I supose that is true Heika; however, that note was hardly a formal disolvtion of an engagement. Perhaps if Heika had not immediately gone to bring Lord Bielefeld back it may have eventually ended your engagement permanently. Ending such a contract requires a bit more than a simple exchange of words," Gunter's voice stated sliding into lecture mode quite easily.

"What! You mean the whole reason I'm still engaged to… to…. to HIM is my fault! Oh man, unbelievable!" A fine tremor began to take hold of Wolfram's limbs as he listened to his fiancé's words, served the traitors right if only they had listened to him in the first place they'd be half way to his study by now.

"Haha, you could say that Heika. Still I must admit my curiosity as to why you are only now asking about this. Lord Bielefeld and you have been engaged for close to five years now." Gunter's words were laced with affection for boyish king, despite the passage of time Yuri had not changed much from the energetic fifteen year old who found himself flushed into a new world.

"Ugh after the boxes and Murata's cult I didn't really have time to deal with …it. It only feels like I'm just now getting the hang of being king."

"And a fine king you are becoming, Heika."

"Uh yea thanks Gunter. But that's the thing a king should have a queen not a.. a.. a whatever you'd call a guy married to a king!" The whine in Yuri's voice vibrated in Wolfram's ears. He'd always known Yuri wasn't all that comfortable with the idea of two men becoming spouses, but it always hurt to hear it spoken.

"That would be a Royal Companion Heika. Really anyone you marry would carry such a title Shin Makoku only has one person with such a high honor of being the king or queen."

"Whatever, still I should be dating girls, trying to find my soul mate or something. Heck even Shori has a girlfriend! And he can barely be bothered to get off his computer to eat let alone date." Wolfram could practially hear the air moved by Yuri's flailing arms as the Maou ranted to his adviser. "And seriously Wolfram can't be happy with this whole thing, I bet he could have any girl he wanted, stupid lucky pretty boys." Yuri's tone dropped to a dissatisfied grumble as he finished his argument.

"Hum yes I suppose Lord Bielefeld was considered quite the eligible bachelor before your engagement, though most turned tail and ran after getting a taste of his temper," Gunter mused with a touch of amusement playing in his words.

"Exactly! So how do I do I become un-engaged? That way we can both get on with our lives." It seemed Wolfram's feet had finally seen the grievous error of their traitorous ways, and were finally carrying him swiftly away from his waking nightmare. Yet his ears still heard the Maou's last rather loud exclamation, "I HAVE TO DO WHAT!?"

A plan, Wolfram needed a plan. It would take the wimp at few days at least to work up the courage to break the engagement, so a plan but first a drink, defiantly a drink.

AN: This is my first attempt at writing anything in years. Here's hoping it doesn't suck too badly. I already have the general plot line laid out, as well as any possible pairings that might happen. Comments and feedback are welcome.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Despite the abhorrent amount of Kyo Kara Maou merchandise I own, I lay no claim to the series it's self

Rated M for foul language, alcohol usage, dark themes, and possible mentions of homosexual sex in later chapters. If you are not mature enough to deal with these please turn back now.

Chapter 2

Wine glass still in hand Wolfram lifted his head to glare at the rising sun visible from his study's many windows, every ray a painful reminder of why drinking away one's problems were far from a smart idea. Still it was better than surviving the night alone and fully aware of his surroundings, and now he had at least a vague idea of exactly what he needed to do. Yuri simply could not be made aware of the full ramifications of terminating the engagement; in fact no one needed to know. Unfortunately there were a few people with enough information to quickly discover the consequences; he needed to speak with them immediately. Gisela was first on the list, the fact that she was likely to have a remedy for his growing headache was a pleasant side-note.

A quick glance at his rather wrinkled uniform and mildly puffy eyes told him that no one would believe he'd slept that night, and discreetly fetching a fresh uniform without the nosy maids finding him was highly unlikely. Slipping on one of his most paint stained smocks and berets he smeared a streak of vivid green paint across his right cheek, fully prepared to blame his disheveled looks on a night of artistic inspiration he set off to the castle hospital. Schooling his features in to a haughty mask he brushed past a few of the maids cleaning suspiciously near the entrance to his study. It seemed his absence from the royal bedchamber had been noticed and was already fair game for gossip. Absentmindedly, Wolfram wondered how it would affect the betting pool. Ironically the castle residents always seemed to inflate the odds for his winning of the king whenever the two were separated by Wolfram's choice. Of course soon the whole pool would be thrown upside down. As he approached Gisela's domain he could hear Dakoskos whimpering as Gisela berated him for not putting the new medical supplies in the correct order. It was a familiar moment that brought a small smile to the blond Mazoku's face as he pushed open the door.

"Honestly Dakoskos what were you thinking, putting the bandages under the main sterilizing station. One leak and I've got a pile of wet, unusable cloth!" Gisela's eye twitched in irritation even as she fought a grin from her lips.

"Yes Sergent! I'm sorry Ma'am! It won't happen again!" sweat rolled down Dakoskos's gleaming head as his spine did a rather impressive imitation of a ruler.

"Fine, fine I do believe Sangria may find more use in your help today, I hear she's planing to make a batch of her special recipe fruit tarts." She turned her back to the solider in order to hide the smile that had won it's place on her countenance.

"Yes Ma'am!" Dakoskos yelled out as made a hasty retreat from the room. Wolfram chuckled lightly as the door slammed shut behind him.

"Really Gisela, are you trying to make Adelbert jealous playing with him like that?" The blush that graced the healer's cheeks even as her laughter rang out was a rare but beautiful sight none the less.

"And I'm sure a brat like you would know something about being jealous," she replied after she caught her breath.

"As a sadist such as yourself would know a thing or two about causing it," he retorted, sticking his nose in the air with a hint of mirth in his eyes.

"As much fun as it is trading insults, what brings you here so early this morning?" She turned to finish setting up the infirmary for the day, thankfully she'd had no overnight patients. It was simply amazing how many of her patients complained about the computability of the beds, the peace in Shin Makoku was nice but it seemed that people had grown soft with out threats toward their safety.

"That would be one formerly full bottle of Caloriaian blackberry wine," Wolfram groaned out as Gisela pulled back the drapes that had been blocking out the majority of the morning sun.

"Wolfram!" Gisela shouted whirling to face the blond, "that stuff is notoriously strong, what on earth were you thinking. Surely you haven't forgotten the last time a certain someone downed a bottle." The image of a drunken Gwendal attempting to cuddle what he thought was a large purple and white kitten flashed in the minds of both Mazoku.

"Eeeh so loud. No I haven't forgotten but I had some things I needed to think about that I really didn't want to think about." His eyes followed Gisela as she puttered around the room gathering a few herbs and a small vial of some sort of green liquid.

"And what could could trouble your blond head enough to get you in this state?" Her words were tossed over her shoulder as her hands swiftly ground the herbs together and mixed the resulting power into the liquid with a skill born of making far more critical mixtures on the battlefield.

"Well… I.. I'm not really sure how to say it. It's almost as if I say it out loud the whole thing will be more …real." Wolfram crossed the room to sit at the table Gisela was working at. She transferred the now muddy brown paste to a glass and topped it off with water before stirring swiftly.

"Is it really something so terrible?" she asked. Her face scrunched up in concern as she set the glass down in front of Wolfram and sat down across from him.

"Mm yeah," he mumbled before taking a wary sip of the remedy.

"I'm guessing it might have something to do with the reason there are three maids attempting to rub hole in the floor outside the door at the moment." A soft crash from the hall followed the healer's words. "Though I'm sure I could find something else to occupy their time, the stable hands could always use a hand in shoveling out the stalls." The second crash was followed by the sound of hurried footsteps retreating from the hall

"Ha, it seems your Sergent voice is still one of the most powerful forces in the castle." Wolfram pinched the bridge of his nose and gulped down the rest of the glass. Setting the glass on the table he glanced up into Gisela's eyes before quickly looking down at his hands.

"Wolfram tell me what's going on already." She reached out and gently clasped Wolfram's hands as they clinched together on the table's surface.

"Well," Wolfram breathed in deeply and let the air slowly work it's way out of his lungs, "yesterday I went to greet Yuri when I found out that he had returned from Earth. I heard voices coming from inside his office, he was talking to your father. He… Yuri… He was asking Gunter how to break an engagement." The blond Mazoku's voice shook, lacking all traces of his usual confidence and bravado.

"Oh Wolf," her hands tightened unconsciously over his as she took in the news, "That ass! Where does he get off thinking he can play with people's hearts like that, Maou or not!" She would have continued her criticism of the king had she not felt Wolfram's hands jerk violently before going perfectly still. He had every right to be yelling at the top of his lungs, cursing Yuri and threatening to roast his more masculine parts on a spit in Covenant Castle's entry way. Instead he just sat there staring straight ahead but seeing nothing with at lost expression on his face. She rose from her seat to stand next to him, turning his head to face her she attempted to gain his attention.

"Wolf… Wolfram… hey are you still with me?" His eyes, though pointed directly at her, seemed to be looking past her, past the room at something only he could see.

"The engagement… he's breaking… it's over… you don't… I'm…" Words began flowing from Wolfram's mouth, each half mumbled not one really making much sense.

"Yea he's breaking the engagement, but it's going to be ok. You're going to be…," the healer's eyes bulged as she attempted to comfort her friend, "Oh Dear God! No! No no no no no no… Oh God. He doesn't know. We can _fix_ this. We _can_ fix this. We can fix _this_!" Gisela managed one stride toward the door before she noticed the pale hand wrapped desperately around her wrist, preventing her from leaving.

"NO!" Wolfram's voice reverberated thought out the room, the fire back in his eyes if somewhat diminished. "No he can't know about this, I won't let him know about this."

"But Wolfram you're"

"Dieing? Not yet but …soon."

AN: Forgot to mention spoilers last time, vague spoilers up to a few episodes for season 3. Thanks to reviewers!! Sorry about any spelling mistakes, my word program is flaking out on spell check and internet ones aren't always reliable.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Despite the abhorrent amount of Kyo Kara Maou merchandise I own, I lay no claim to the series it's self

Rated M for foul language, alcohol usage, dark themes, and possible mentions of homosexual sex in later chapters. If you are not mature enough to deal with these please turn back now.

Chapter 3

Yuri interlude

"Exactly! So how do I become un-engaged? That way we can both get on with our lives." Yuri directed his most pleading gaze towards his advisor. The lavender haired man covered his nose briefly to deal with the embarrassing side effects of his beloved ruler's attention.

"Hmmm well… there are three ways to break an engagement. If one or both parties engage in a physically intimate act of adultery," at the comically disgusted and shocked expression on the Maou's face Gunter continued, "or if the two are willingly separated for an extended period of time…"

"That should work!" Yuri pounded his fist on the desk victoriously, "How long do we have to be separated?" Gunter's face narrowed in concentration, seemingly reviewing the history of Shin Makoku in his mind.

"I do believe the last time that happened it took somewhere around two decades." The Maou's irritated groan quickly brought Gunter back to the present.

"Oh come on Gunter there's no way I'm waiting twenty years to be a free man!"

"There is always the most common method," his normally gorgeous face twisted in horror at the thoughts passing through his mind.

"And that would be…?" Yuri's eyes focused on his tutor anxiously.

"…the proposer must bestow a kiss upon the right cheek of the proposed." The sound of a chair pitifully hitting the ground filled the suddenly quiet room, its previous resident having leapt to his feet to gape, open-mouthed at the information he'd just received.

"I HAVE TO DO WHAT!?"

AN: Ironically I'd already written this scene before anyone asked how the engagement had to be broken, the image of Yuri freaking out over something so small to anyone but him amused me. Very short this time, but the next chapter is shaping up to be the longest yet.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Despite the abhorrent amount of Kyo Kara Maou merchandise I own, I lay no claim to the series it's self

Rated M for foul language, alcohol usage, dark themes, and possible mentions of homosexual sex in later chapters. If you are not mature enough to deal with these please turn back now.

Chapter 4

Gisela stared blankly at Wolfram as she processed everything that had happened in her sanctuary in the last few minutes. Yuri was breaking the engagement, Wolfram was going to willingly start dieing again, and she was going to beat some sense into one or both of them. She looked deeply into his eyes as she brought her boot down on the top of his foot with all the anger she could muster.

"OYE WHAT THE HELL!!" The former prince leaped up and attempted to hop away from Gisela, but was rewarded with a smack to the back of his head for his efforts.

"You giant MORON! How the hell can you think he won't find out about this?!" she yelled as she gave up her physical attacks for a few verbal ones instead. "He's not going to wonder about you suddenly starting to cough up blood everywhere?! What are you going to do, bury yourself in the garden and hope no one notices the smell?!" She growled dangerously and made to continue assaulting the blond.

"HEY! Hey stop it!" ducking behind a cabinet as glass shattered above his head, Wolfram tried to explain what he'd been thinking, "Look he's not going to wonder about the blood if he can't see me, and unless someone at castle can smell the scent of death from miles away the smell is the last thing I have to worry about."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Gisela put down the stool she'd been intending to throttle him with and stared at his hiding spot as though its occupant had lost his mind.

"After he breaks the engagement I'm leaving," he carefully peeked around the edge to see if hurricane Gisela had lost some of her viciousness.

"Yeah right, as if any resident of this castle would let you leave after that. Hell I know there are at least ten people who'd try to keep you here just to increase their odds of winning the betting pool."

"They'll let me go if it's a royal order," he gingerly stepped out from behind the cabinet as he noted the healer's lack of destructive activity.

"Ha! Yuri may be an insensitive ass sometimes but there is no way he'd send you away. He wouldn't send any of the people he considers friends away, even if they want to leave." Crossing her arms confidently, Gisela eyed the blond as he righted the chair he'd occupied as they began their discussion and sat down.

"He will if someone advises him that letting me have some time to deal with my broken heart might save him a few broken bones." With a touch of nervousness he watched as she strode closer to him.

"And pray tell whom do you expect to advise the Great Maou-Heika Shibuya Yūri, Harajuku Fūri on such a delicate matter?" She perched a hip on the edge of the table and waited for his answer.

"The man best suited for manipulating Heika in to doing something without knowing what exactly it is he's doing. The one and only Great Sage Murata Ken."

"You expect him to go along with some half cocked plan that more than likely involves lying to Yuri. Never let it be said Wolfram von Bielefeld didn't know how to come up with a bad joke."

"I expect him to do what's best for Shin Makoku. Let's face it I'm going to be dead sooner rather than later. Either Yuri figures out that his choice is what lead to my death or as far as he knows I died out in the country somewhere fighting bandits or something. The former will eat at his conscience far more than the latter." Wolfram rested his elbows on the table and clasped his hands together as he let Gisela absorb his reasoning.

"Shit, you've actually thought this through. Weren't you supposed to be a pretty boy that didn't need to think?" Her forehead rested lightly in the palm of her hand in order to starve off a growing headache.

"I guess I've always been a disappointment to mother that way," he joked as he shrugged his shoulders apathetically.

"And if I decide to running about the castle shouting 'Wolfram is dieing' what will you do?"

"I suppose I'll get a demonstration of what exactly happens to an oath-breaker, if you're even able to speak the words."

"It would be too much to ask that you would have forgotten about that."

"Even if I had, your Maryoku is unlikely to have forgotten." The two Mazoku stared at each other hoping to see a hint of defeat in the other's face even as they ruminated over the events that brought them to this moment.

-Flashback-

The sun beat down mercilessly on a few figures on horseback crossing a field of wild flowers and weeds. A man atop an elegant white mare led the way, obviously more familiar with the territory than his companions. Following just behind him rode a taller woman, she gently stroked her mount's mane as they rode hoping to keep the unfamiliar creature calm despite the load it was carrying between it's rider and her large saddle bags. Several meters back a pair of soldiers in blue uniforms trained their eyes towards the surrounding area, on the lookout for any trouble makers or predatory animals that might be near by. As the group neared a small lake that marked the start of a forest and the end of the field, the lead rider pulled his steed to a halt. Pointing at the vegetation growing around the lake he called to the female behind him.

"Hey Gisela I think the weed your looking for grows pretty well around here, heartleaf or what ever it is you were calling it." Gracefully dismounting the horse he led it over to a tree and tied the reins to a low branch.

"Really Wolf for the last time it's called heartstem! Not heartsease, heartwood, or even heartthorn!" she huffed as she follows his example and settled her mount next to the blond's.

"Yea yea most of the people around here just call them weeds. I still don't understand what you hope to learn from studying them. Our local healers haven't found a medical use for them in centuries of practice; mind you they've been used to make a fantastic cup of tea when mixed with a few mint leaves." As Wolfram finished speaking he turned to glare at the soldiers still on horseback. The two men quickly got the hint and dismounted their horses as well, tethering them to some trees a little bit south of the other horses.

"It's true that it has no ability to fix an ailment or heal a wound. However, most of the soldiers from this area have an almost perfect immunity to most colds and flus. When my tent was filled with sniffling and vomiting, the men from the Bielefeld lands were completely unfazed. As far as my research has shown this is the only plant that grows solely in this area." Rifling around in her saddle bag she retrieved two spades and several burlap squares.

"Ha are you sure it's not just that the rest of Shin Makoku is filled with wimps?" Wolfram smirked sarcastically as he motioned for her to hand him one of the spades. She tapped him lightly on the forehead with the tool before placing it in his hand.

"Maybe cocky brats are just naturally resistant to sickness. Now help me dig up some of these. Be careful of the roots, just the shock of transplanting them could kill them no need to add excessive root damage." As she knelt down to begin digging Wolfram glanced over at the soldiers to see if they had paid any attention to the exchange. Both seemed more interested in scanning the tree line than watching their companions. The Bielefeld territories closely bordered one of the human nations and despite it being nearly two decades since the treaty that ended the last human/Mazoku war most of Shin Makoku's soldiers were distrustful of humans. These two were the same age as the third prince and had only seen combat near the end of the war. Unfortunately some of the worst atrocities of the war occurred just before the end of the war as both sides began to cast aside their honor in hopes of coming out on top. Majutsu users were called upon to lay waste to human villages and human Sorcerers devised new methods of using esoteric stones to disable Mazoku both on the battlefield and in their homes.

Deciding that his reputation hadn't been marred by his interaction with Gisela, Wolfram began helping the healer collect some of the plants. It was hard enough gaining the respect of the men under his command without them wondering at his obedience to a person technically below him in rank. Most of the army and Shin Makoku in general tended to believe that he had achieved his position due to Lady Celi's tendency to want to spoil her children. Few knew of the assignments he'd been given outside of typical military maneuvers. All told he likely had more innocent blood on his hands than either of his brothers, it was one of the few reasons he wished he had never made a contract with the fire elements. Flames were the easiest way to take out a village without making it clear the damage was intentional instead of accidental. A few bits of dirt hitting the side of his head startled Wolfram out of his dark thoughts.

"You really need to learn to listen when someone's talking to you."

"Sorry Gisela I just got caught up in my thoughts, what were you saying?"

"I only need a few more plants but I'd like to get some soil and water samples just in case there is something in them that is necessary for the plants growth." She started dipping the burlap squares in the lake before setting a plant on each one.

"Oye," Wolfram called out to the soldiers, "Edward, Simon I want you two to gather some of the lake water and some of the dirt around here for Miss Gisela. You can use the jugs I had you attach to your pommels and I should have somesacks in my pack." He dusted off his hands and walked towards his horse to retrieve the sacks. The soldiers muttered a short "yes sir" and quickly grabbed the jugs and began filling them.

"Hey Wolf I left the twine to tie these up with in my bag could you grab it for me?" Gisela shouted over her shoulder.

"Sure, sure I'll just gra…" his sentence broke off as heard some noises coming from the trees near his horse, "Halt who goes the…" the second time he was interrupted by a man leaping out of the foliage flinging dirt at him.

"Dirty Monstrous Murderer! Your kind don't deserve to live!" the man screamed as he threw himself at the coughing prince. The soldiers and Gisela heard the commotion and began running toward the tussle. Wolfram grabbed the man's arms and forced him to the ground still coughing as his lungs attempted to dispel the foreign debris he had inhaled during the man's initial attack. "You killed him, you killed my SON!! Bastard son of the jackal!!" It was clear the man had lost more than a little of his sanity as he continued to spout random insults at the blond. As the others neared the struggle the man's words gave way to disguising gurgling, a pool of red started forming under the two combatants.

"Wolfram!" Gisela shouted at the still hacking prince. He looked up at her as the resistance left his attacker's body.

"I -_cough_- I think –_wheeze_- he's dead." The prince stood up off of the body and toed him over to rest with his face toward the sky. Blood covered his mouth and a bit of flesh rested on the ground where his face had been pressed to. Gisela checked his vitals but it was pretty clear the man had bitten off his own tongue to avoid capture. Wolfram still hadn't stopped coughing and was now on bent over on his knees grasping at the ground.

"Wolf, what's wrong?" Gisela rushed over to the prince's side

"Bastard –_cough-_ threw something at me –_wheeze-_I breathed some of it in." One last violent round of coughing triggered his gag reflex and he vomited on the ground in front of him. Rolling on to his back away from the puddle he attempted to regain his breath. Gisela moved to examine the area the fight had occurred in and noticed there was an odd colored dust scattered on the ground. She made to touch some of it but was struck by how utterly wrong it felt to get too close to it. The Maryoku in her body seemed to rebel against her coming into contact with the powder. A chill raced up her spine, she'd seen something like this before. In a now infamous battle Lady Susannah Julia von Wincott died exhausting her Maryoku in the attempt to heal soldiers from the effects of a very similar substance. She glanced at the two soldiers awkwardly gripping the hilts of their sheathed swords; they seemed torn between helping their fallen commanding officer and watching for any further attack.

"You two check the perimeter for any others lying in wait. Cover you mouths and noses, and for Shinou's sake don't get yourselves injured." The soldiers looked at her questioningly.

"You heard the lady, move it!" the voice of their commanding officer drove them into action. Pulling the necks of their shirts up from under their jackets the men cautiously stalked around the trees in the area searching a few feet forward in the woods. Gisela shook her head at the soldiers; Wolfram's seemed to be the only ones able to disobey what others had dubbed her Sergeant's voice. Trying to keep the shakiness out of her voice she called out to Wolfram as she moved to further inspect the corpse.

"I think your constant yelling has dulled their ears." She took in the state of the body. He was dressed in roughly sewn together animal skins, the smell coming off him seemed to indicate he hadn't washed in a while. If he was as human as she suspected him to be the gray in his hair and wear on his skin put his age well into his fifties.

"Ha –_pant-_ maybe you're just loosing your touch," Wolfram responded after hearing the well disguised tremor in the healer's words. A few clouds drifted across the sky as the prince stared upwards. He wasn't stupid; the attack was unusual. Even during the war very few battles occurred along this border. Both his uncle and the regent lord over the human lands detested the idea of bloodshed on their lands.

"Sure that would explain why your brothers still jump in to action with a few words." Focusing in on the task at hand Gisela began checking the body for distinguishing marks. During the war a number of humans took to tattooing symbols on their flesh designating the family, rank, and vocation; it made the identification of bodies easier for those left to collect the dead. Gisela had seen the symbols many times before and had managed to decipher the meaning of the rank and vocation symbols fairly easily. The two symbols staring up at her from the man's neck were worrisome. One marked his rank as a Corporal. The other was the real cause of her distress, a small diamond with stars chained around it, the mark of a Sorcerer.

"Gisela?" Wolfram had turned his head to face her and had noticed the slight tremor running though her body, "Something isn't right, what's wrong?" The healer stilled as best she could when she noticed his attention.

"How… what are you feeling, and don't gloss anything over." Her eyes remained trained on the body; if she looked at Wolfram she was sure she would be unable to remain calm.

"I… well I feel sore and nauseous," he turned his eyes upward again and took a deep breath, "The sun feels warm on my skin but it's like I'm breathing in cold winter air. …It wasn't dirt was it?"

"No… I…. Oh Hell! I'm pretty sure it's Mausetot." Towards the end of the war the humans began focusing on attempts to kill Mazoku with as little effort as possible. The end result of their experiments was Mausetot, a blend of a rare esoteric stone, human blood, and some other ingredients that had never been identified by Mazoku researchers. Unlike most poisons, Mausetot took anywhere from a month to a year or two to kill the intended target. All it took was a few grains entering the body for that person's death to become inevitable. Human soldiers brushed it along their weapons, turning wounds that should have been nothing into fatal injuries. Small amounts of the mixture were wrapped in thin bits of paper to be thrown at Mazoku warriors. Only the most skilled of healers could sense the presence of the poison in a Mazoku's body. Julia was present at the battle that marked the first heavy use of Mausetot. Gisela had stood at her side as she realized what was happening to the men Julia had sworn her life to healing. Pouring her Maryoku into the soldiers' wounds Julia attempted to draw the poison from their bodies, but the fine grains attached themselves to the muscles and other tissue they came in contact with instantaneously. After the battle the Mazoku soldiers began dieing slow deaths, the quickness of their deaths varied due to the amount of Mausetot in them and the method it was introduced.

"HAHAHAHAHAhahahahahAHAHAHAHAH" Wolfram's slightly deranged laughter rang out across the field. The irony of the situation was not lost on him. Shortly after that battle Stoffel had convinced Celi to allow him to send out troops to destroy human villages, if the humans could stoop so low then so would they. Wolfram's first assignment as a Captain was to burn a human villages to the ground, Stoffel had been furious that he let a significant amount of humans escape unharmed but blood of those he'd killed in cold blood still haunted him. Maybe this man who had poisoned Wolfram had lost his son in that fire, it was unlikely but it would have been damn ironic.

"Sir, Ma'am it looks like there is no one else in the area. We did find what appeared to be a rough path leading deeper in the woods. Would you like us to investigate?" Simon reported the soldiers' findings while trying not to look unnerved by Wolfram's behavior.

"Yes go!" Gisela barked at the soldiers, causing them to dart off towards the woods again. She turned to look at Wolfram again, his laughter had stopped at the soldiers began speaking. "Wolfram?" when he didn't respond she continued, "Wolfram… there's no… no one survives Mausetot." She watched as he slowly sat up and wrapped his arms around his knees.

"So that's it then, I'm…" he trailed off, eyes staring blankly forward. Gisela moved toward the blond intending to comfort him, but he scrambled back from her touch.

"Wolf what?" She had not seen him this vulnerable in a very long time.

"Don't touch me! What if you get it in you?" He shivered, curling up on himself again while eyeing her warily.

"Don't tell me you believe that nonsense, if it was that easy to transfer we'd have a chance of removing it," she growled as she grabbed him around the shoulders in a tight embrace.

"B..but you remember the soldiers coming back with it, no one would even go near them," his voice shook despite his best efforts to keep it steady, "They all died alone."

"Oh Wolf no one's going to leave you." She continued to hold him as a few hot tears broke through his resolve to soak into her shirt. They sat there several minutes till the sound of people approaching reached their ears causing them to separate. Turning towards the noise Wolfram wiped his face on the sleeve of his uniform just before his soldiers stepped into the clearing.

"Sir?" the two men could tell something had happened to their commanding officer, his face was slightly red and he was seated unusually close to Miss Gisela. If they didn't know better they'd say he had been crying. Ranting, raving, throwing objects and lighting others on fire was par for course with Wolfram von Bielefeld, but crying was unheard of.

"What did you find?" Gisela snapped at them. They looked mildly uncomfortable at her demand, but quickly decided it was in their best interest to respond when Wolfram leveled a red eyed glare at them.

"There seems to be a long standing camp a few meters into the woods. All indications are that a single individual has been living there for months if not years. The only disturbance in the foliage is the path that leads to the lake. The camp contained a small garden area with a few plants, a tent with standard camping gear, and a work area that we were unable to investigate fully," Simon accounted as Edward stood behind him looking slightly green.

"And why didn't you examine the work area?!" Gisela ground out of clenched teeth.

"When we approached the space we found ourselves nearly incapacitated. Edward attempted to go in further but was forced to the ground and passed out momentarily, I was able to pull him back but we were unable to continue the examination." Simon was able to give his account of their findings with only a few beads of sweat giving away his fear of the healer's wrath.

"Is this the truth Corporal?" at Edward's hasty nod Gisela continued, "Damn it! He must have been manufacturing that garbage here for months. I absolutely hate Sorcerers!" At the mention of Sorcerers both soldiers turned to face the body sharply, as though they expected it to rise up and start attacking them. Those who had the ability to wield and manipulate esoteric stones had a very bad reputation amongst most Mazoku soldiers who had the opportunity to fight them.

"Stand down men, that husk of a human no longer has any power to harm," Wolfram spoke up for the first time since the soldiers returned, "If what you've said is truthfull it would seem he's been living as a hermit for a while so it's unlikely he's working under the orders of any human nation. It would be best if we kept any word about this incident to ourselves." Three pairs of confused eyes turned toward him.

"What the hell are you talking about Wolfram!? That ass just killed you!" her statement brought shocked gasps from the soldiers, "You can't expect us to kept this quiet, if nothing else we have to make sure the humans aren't planning to break the treaty by mass producing Mausetot again!" The soldiers' eyes bulged, they had seen the man throw something at Wolfram but Mausetot was the last thing they had imagined being flung at him.

"And what if he was one lone insane leftover of the war working on his own? Do you think either of my uncles will let it rest? Waltorana will be calling for blood, and Stoffel will use it to start another war if he gets the chance!" Wolfram sprung to his feet as he yelled.

"But Wolfram how many more will die if this is just the start?" Gisela asked before trailing off, hoping the prince would come to his senses. After a few long moments Wolfram spoke.

"We will tell them we came upon him visiting the lake, he tried to attack us but was unsuccessful. Upon realizing there was no way he could escape he took his own life. We searched the woods to figure out just where he came from and found his work space. That's close enough to the truth and should allow for a more peaceful investigation. If the humans were backing him completely we will inform them of my… condition. But if he was working alone we don't tell anyone." Wolfram delivered his plan calmly with a dead look in his eyes.

"…Wolf even if he was working on his own you still only have at max two years left, they are going to recognize the symptoms for what they are."

"In two years either we will know if he was on his own or working with the rest of the humans. We'll either already be at war or the chance of war will be greatly diminished. And when I get close to …di… being gone I'll tell everyone what happened." The prince had been pacing back and forth as he spoke but now stood still waiting to see how Gisela would respond. As much as she hated the idea she had to admit he was right in many ways. Humans and Mazoku were still too wary of each other, the Queen's son dieing from a forbidden poison could easily spark enough tension to start another war.

"Fine Wolf I won't tell anyone about your condition, but once we find out more about this man's connection to the humans if anyone asks specifically about your condition I will not lie to them." She spoke even as she planned to break the news to Celi the moment she was sure it wouldn't start a war.

"Good then you won't mind taking a blood oath to that effect, just to be sure?" Wolfram had seen her eyes twitch to the left as she spoke, the same movement he'd seen her make a thousand times when trying to get out of trouble when they were younger.

"What!? Don't you trust me?" she shouted.

"I trust you but I also know you are as hard headed as they come, the oath is for my own piece of mind," Wolfram offered her a small sad smile.

"Fine! I'll do it, you jack ass." She crossed her arms in annoyance. Wolfram turned to the soldiers once he had insured Gisela's acquiescence.

"I expect you two to take a similar oath."

"But Sir!" Simon exclaimed.

"Think of your friends and family gentlemen, do you really want to chance putting them thought another war." Wolfram watched as the two soldiers processed the idea before slowly walking towards their commanding officer with depressed acceptance in their demeanor.

On that sunny afternoon, in a picturesque field three Mazoku spilled their blood promising to keep the inevitable death of the fourth secret. Three months later it was discovered that the attacker had been working alone and that the other humans had banished him due to his insistence that another war was needed. Another two months passed before Ulrike made the announcement that Shinou had chosen a new Maou. And a full eight months after the incident an angry double black boy proposed to Wolfram, turning his life upside-down.

-Flashback End-

Casting her gaze downward Gisela began to mourn her friend a second time as he stood to leave. As much as she wanted to beat some sense into the Royal Couple she knew they were both making the choices they thought to be the best. Of course that didn't mean that she couldn't suggest that the Maou's Maryoku should be highly effective in some of Lady Anissina's inventions. A shiver ran down Wolfram's spine as he sensed an evil intent rolling off of Gisela. He shouted a quick good bye over his shoulder and hurried his steps as he went to change into fresh clothes before his next visit. After all one didn't go to meet the Great Sage in yesterday's uniform and a paint covered smock.

--

AN: Hope the annoyingly long flashback didn't put anyone off. Sorry about any non-canon historical elements I made up that contradict things stated in the show, if it really bothers you just pretend its a slightly alternate reality. Oh if you are interested, the term I used for the poison is a German word that means "stone dead". It seemed ironic and appropriate.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Yuri Interlude

The sounds of footsteps filled the hall outside of the royal bedchamber, each one echoing on top of the other till it sounded as though they were the product of some strange race; or at least that was how it seemed to the current demon king who was the originator of said footsteps. Yuri paced nervously in front of the door to his room. The guards outside his room had long since stopped looking at their king as though he'd lost his mind, if Yuri Heika wanted to wear a hole in the stone corridor they would make sure no one attacked him while he was at it. It was past eleven at night and Wolfram was sure to be inside waiting for him or maybe thrashing about on the bed in his sleep. He now knew how to permanently evict the blond from his bed, but the method he would have to employ sent shivers down his spine. Really what kind of messed up kingdom did he rule! You slap someone to propose and kiss them to dissolve the engagement; the whole idea was madness. Yet somehow he had to work up the courage to do it, the other options were simply too unimaginable. He may be a grown man but going out and finding someone to sleep with only to break it off with Wolfram was just distasteful, especially for a king! Plus he might not live long enough to enjoy being single. If Wolfram didn't kill him his brothers would, Gwendal and Conrart could be very scary when someone they care for gets hurt. As far as using prolonged separation to end the engagement, well Yuri may not want to marry Wolfram but he still considered them good friends and he didn't want to be away from his friend for so long. Still kissing Wolfram was more than enough to send the young Maou into a fright; boys just didn't go around kissing other boys. At least not outside of his mother's yaoi manga collection, he still remembered the trauma of discovering them as a child, perhaps it wouldn't have been so bad if he hadn't asked some kids in his class about what they were. As he paced he couldn't help but call himself an idiot. Most of the things Gunter had told him this afternoon were things he was sure the rather enthusiastic man had told him before, but Yuri had drowned out most of Gunter's longer speeches when he first became Maou.

-Flashback to a few hours earlier-

"I HAVE TO DO WHAT!?" Yuri continued to gape much akin to a large fish.

"It is a horrible thought! Heika's sacred lips touching that selfish brat's face, it gives me hives." As if to illustrate his disgust at the idea Gunter began to shake and clutch his arms around his stomach. Images of a devil horned Wolfram laying in wait for Yuri Heika floated past his mind, turning his cheeks a bit green.

"Why the heck do I have to kiss him to break the engagement!? That's so backwards, shouldn't you kiss someone if you want to stay with them not the other way around?" Yuri whined pathetically at his advisor. It took nearly a full minute for his words to bypass the images plaguing Gunter's mind. Really the man was starting to frighten him; usually he had problems getting Gunter to stop talking not start.

"I… suppose it could be seen in that light, but the meaning behind the kiss is simply that the engagement is being ended with, as Heika would say, no hard feelings. It also slows down the processes involved in breaking an engagement, so that neither party feels any drastic recoil. Though I imagine Lord Bielefeld and yourself may still notice some side effects," Gunter answered his king as the color slowly returned to his face. Reciting the history and traditions of his beloved Shin Makoku always had a calming effect on lavender haired noble, facts rarely required him to feel many emotions.

"Uh…. Recoil, side effects? Gunter you're not making any sense again. How can there be side effects to deciding not to marry someone? I'm not going to have to wrestle a Goala because I broke the engagement am I?!" Yuri looked nervously at Gunter. Some of the things he'd had to do according to the traditions of Shin Makoku really should have been mentioned before he got in the situation that led up to them, who dropped a knife to instigate a duel.

"Ah surely Heika is testing me to see if I still remember material from previous lessons without referring to my books!" Caught up in his passion for the Maou Gunter never noticed the bead of sweat that rolled down Yuri's head as he smiled nervously.

"Um… Yea, just what you said I'm testing you." Yuri silently vowed that he wouldn't daydream or attempt to escape during Gunter's lectures, and this time he really was going to stick to it. The other dozen times didn't count in the long run.

"Well as Heika knows," he winked meaningfully at Yuri, "a marriage between two Mazoku bonds them in three ways, mind, body, and spirit. In a successful marriage all three must blend together so that the couple becomes a single unit that is more that the sum of each person. The engagement process is a sort of test run to see if the couple is able to blend well. To mix there minds they begin to share their problems, worries, joys and sorrows. If one or both cannot bear the weight of the other or if they cannot let go enough to share then the marriage is doomed and the engagement is broken. As far as blending the body goes… well to a certain degree physical compatibility does come into play. However, the main idea is the willingness to nurture, protect and rejoice in the physical being of one's partner. Again any failure in this aspect is grounds for breaking an engagement. I may be overstepping my bounds but I believe this would be the reason you are ending your own engagement?" Gunter paused to look quizzically at the Maou.

"Yea. I mean it's not like I don't like Wolfram but he's a guy and I just can't imagine being with a guy…you know… in bed," Yuri's face turned a worrisome shade of red as he squeaked out the last of his sentence.

"Oh? I was under the impression that Heika and Lord Bielefeld have shared a bed quite often? Gunter questioned with a hint of mischief in his voice, to his eyes Heika was quite cute when flustered.

"Ah jeez! Do you have to say it like that?! I mean like you know… sex and stuff. I just can't… Ah forget it! So how does the whole spirit thing come into play?" Yuri huffed, clearly not happy with having to explain his meaning.

"Hum… Ah yes the melding of the spirit. This little tidbit is one of the original reasons it was considered wrong for a Mazoku and a Human to marry, of course both sides found many more reasons over the years. You see when two Mazoku come together their Maryoku starts to mix. In an ideal marriage the two different energies work to fill in gaps. For example if one has difficulty maintaining control of his or her element for an extended period of time and the other has great endurance then the first will gain greater control as they become engaged. Of course the effect heightens once the couple is actually married. One can also gain access to different types of Maryoku if his or her intended can access it. In fact several of the spouses of some of our most notable healers were reported to not have so much as a cold after their marriages. Now in a bad situation instead of both partners sharing and balancing Maryoku one partner becomes something of a black hole and the other may become ill or worse. That's why some people believed that humans and Mazoku shouldn't mix as the human had no Maryoku to share and the union would eventually kill the Mazoku. Of course this has been proven to be an unmerited fear."

"Ick that sounds pretty bad, but you said there would be side effects once I ki… break the engagement what where you talking about?" Yuri seemed proud of himself, he'd listened to Gunter and even had a good question to ask, he was defiantly going to stick to his vow.

"Well in your case Heika the side effects shouldn't be too bad. You both have access to rather astounding amounts of Maryoku. Of course Heika has more than anyone! Lord Bielefeld has always been known for having an amazing amount of control over his Maryoku, if anything you may note that manipulating your elements may become slightly more difficult or you may become tired more quickly. On the other hand you are better known for your ability to wield many different forces and your talent at using Maryoku with little or no conscious intent. Lord Bielefeld will likely begin to reject different types of Maryoku as is common with fire wielders. I can still hear Gisela complaining about having to heal them on the battlefield. We can also hope that after the engagement is over he will stop burning things in his sleep. Really it is such a bother replacing burnt tapestries!" Gunter fumed as he recalled a maid informing him that Wolfram had charred the corner of an original tapestry that had depicted Shinou Heika's victory whilst sleep-walking one night.

"So you mean that Wolfram's energy has been helping me with my control this whole time?" Yuri seemed somewhat amazed by this fact, come to think of it he'd never actually used his Maryoku before he'd become engaged.

"Perhaps, at the least it hasn't hindered your Maryoku. Now quite some time ago when your predecessor, the 15th Maou, was choosing a spouse he had quite an unfortunate event occur. You see his fiancé was a rather emotional earth wielder and once his power began to mix with hers the walls of the castle would shake and crack when she got mad. In fact there is still a crack in the west wall, many," Gunter was interrupted as Yuri stood up sharply and started heading for the door.

"Wow Gunter that sounds fascinating but I think I hear Gwendal calling my name, must be something really important. See ya!" As Yuri sprinted from the room he told the voice in his head reminding him of his earlier vow that as said vow was never spoken aloud it really shouldn't count.

"Hum… but I was sure I was due to meet Gwendal to discuss a few financial matters soon," Gunter muttered to himself as Yuri made his escape.

-Flashback end-

After having spent a good hour or too pacing in front of his own door, Yuri decided to just bite the bullet and get it over with. He didn't even have to break the engagement that night. In fact he'd spend the day with Wolfram tomorrow, that way he wouldn't think Yuri was doing it because he hated Wolfram. Surely they could be friends afterward, after all as strange as it seemed Greta had really started to view Wolfram as a second father. He vaguely wondered if they would have something like joint custody of his daughter. Finally having made a decision, he creaked open the heavy wooden door. Surprisingly the bed seemed unoccupied.

"Wolfram," Yuri whispered as he entered and closed the door behind him. Silence was the only thing that answered him. It struck him as odd that not only had he not been greeted by the fiery blond upon his return to Shin Makoku, but now he was absent from the bed as well. Maybe Wolfram was away from the castle at the moment, though surely someone would have mentioned that. Shrugging it off as good luck on his part Yuri finished his last preparations for bed. Yet as he settled in under the covers he couldn't help but notice that the bed seemed unusually large and cold without another occupant. He really should remember to find out what Wolfram was up to that would keep him away.

--

AN: Hopefully this chapter cleared up a few questions as to why the engagement would have anything at all to do with Wolfram's health. The next will hopefully make everything crystal clear.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Despite the abhorrent amount of Kyo Kara Maou merchandise I own, I lay no claim to the series it's self.

Rated M for foul language, alcohol usage, dark themes, and possible mentions of homosexual sex in later chapters. If you are not mature enough to deal with these please turn back now.

Chapter 6

Wolfram briskly strode down the now bright corridors towards the royal bedchambers internally cursing that he'd moved all of his clothing there. It would have been much easier to simply retrieve a new uniform from his old room; of course Celi had turned that room into a sewing room for the castle seamstresses shortly after he moved out. Luckily it was just about time for breakfast; Yuri never seemed to miss it. He usually mumbled something about it being the most important meal of the day. What a silly idea, as far as Wolfram was concerned as long as you consumed enough food to sustain you what did it matter when you ate. As he approached the doors to the bedroom he noted the lack of guards, it seemed Yuri had already left for the day. Gently opening the door he glanced about the room to see if anything was out of the ordinary. Yuri's nightclothes were strewn across the bed and half the bed was rumpled. Surely Yuri realized his messy nature in the mornings only fueled the rumors of their intimacy. Changing clothing in the middle of the room was uncouth, the only reason one should have for removing clothing outside of a closet or changing screen would be if it was removed in preparation for more intimate activities.

Shaking his head the blond picked up Yuri's pajamas and hung them over the changing screen in the corner of the room. He didn't notice any of the princess's things about the room, so it was unlikely that she'd spent the night there. Not that she had done so in quite some time, she was growing up far too soon for Wolfram's liking. It was one of the pitfalls of caring for humans, most of the time they grew old and died in the blink of an eye. At least he wouldn't have to watch his daughter die before him. Of course that means he also won't get to see her become the beautiful lady he knew she would, get see her marry the person lucky enough to capture her heart, nor perhaps see the children she might one day give birth too. Wolfram quickly cut off that line of thought as he felt his eyes start to burn. She would still have Yuri to take care of her and love her and if the Maou dared to fall short in his duties as a father Wolfram would have to see if Shinou Heika was the only blond able to effect the world of the living after death. He moved toward the wardrobe and pulled out one of his uniforms. After laying the familiar blue fabric on a chair behind the changing screen, he began to remove his own clothing. Each garment was carefully folded and placed in a pile for the maids to pick up later. As much as he would have liked to make a mess for them to clean up it would have raised their suspicions for him to behave so unusually. Once he'd striped down completely he caught a glance of himself in the mirror mounted to the wall. He stopped to stare a moment. It still unnerved him that despite the outward physical health of his body there was something inside him waiting for the chance to destroy him and soon it would have that chance. Shivering slightly he turned from the mirror to pull on his undergarments they were the only bit of black he was allowed to wear until the wedding that would never happen. He thought about changing in to some of the one's he'd worn before the engagement, but again the maids would take note of it and it was best that no one knew that he was aware of Yuri's decision already. It wouldn't be prudent considering the plan he was preparing to propose to Geika. That in mind Wolfram finished dressing and checked the mirror once more. He looked the picture of a bratty, spoiled prince; shrugging he decided that it was best to play the hand one was dealt and strode out of the room proudly. It was time to find Murata Ken.

--

Despite the fact that Murata technically lived at the former temple of the great one he was often found hanging around Covenant Castle for several days if not weeks after returning from Earth with the Maou. It really was the best place to catch up on the latest gossip, the women who still lived at the temple weren't much for rumors. One of the guestrooms that were usually reserved for visiting nobles had become his home away from home when he stayed at the castle. That was the room Wolfram knocked lightly on the door of as he began his search for Murata. It would have been easier to simply ask one of the maids, but he dreaded the rumor that would spring out of his request. If he wasn't already dieing those women would be the death of him. The things they came up with were simply outlandish, who would believe Gwendal lead Gunter around the gardens with a leash. His big brother had more sense than to do something like that in public, now behind closed doors who knew what those two did. A brief shudder went through Wolfram's body as he waited to see if the door would open, thoughts of his big brother's sex life were best left unfinished. After a few moments Wolfram resigned himself to searching the castle grounds to find the sage, it would make things more difficult as he intended to avoid Yuri as much as possible and wandering around was hardly productive towards that goal. Turning from the door he began mapping out the grounds in his mind to determine the best search pattern, he nearly missed the door creaking open and a tousled black haired head poking out of the doorway.

"Eh?" Murata questioned at the blurry blue figure walking away from his door. Wolfram whirled around to gawk at Murata; Geika was rarely found in any other state than poised and perfect. The wrinkled bed clothes and lack of glasses made a rather remarkable picture.

"Oh so you are still here," Wolfram spoke as he shook himself from his surprise at Murata's appearance.

"…Wolfram?" Murata squinted at him, "What are you doing here so early?"

"Early? The sun has been up for quite a while now," one blond eyebrow lifted sardonically.

"Has it? I suppose that would explain all the stupid birds making noises outside my windows. Some times I miss the sounds of traffic at least you could sleep though it," Murata trailed off mumbling to himself.

"Um that's nice Geika. Perhaps I should let you gather yourself for a bit." The blond fought back a snicker at the sage's sleep addled behavior.

"What? No I'll be good, come in for a minute while I freshen up then you can tell me why you woke me up." He shuffled back into his room gesturing for Wolfram to join him. With a quick glance down either side of the hall to make sure no one saw him Wolfram followed him in and closed the door behind him. He was greeted with the sight of Murata digging under the bed to retrieve his glasses. Sometimes it was hard to believe this man was the same one who had constructed the plan to defeat Soushu, double black or not. Wolfram continued to watch the sage putter about the room finding clothes to wear before he ducked behind his changing screen. Taking in the state of the room Wolfram had to wonder if all people from Earth were this messy. The few memories he had from his time on the other world didn't give him much of an impression of how their culture worked. He was curious about the place where two of the most important people on his world had grown up, but getting Yuri to talk about anything other than baseball was difficult when it came to Earth and he'd never liked asking such personal questions of Murata.

"So what reason do I owe the honor of your presence this morning?" Murata spoke as he emerged from behind the screen. Gone was the sleepy young man, replaced by the confident sage with his glasses catching the light leaking in from a mostly closed curtain.

"Well I've got a bit of a philosophical problem and being as that you are considered the wisest person out there I hoped you might be able to help me solve it." Despite his efforts a mildly teasing tone lingered in Wolfram's voice.

"Ah I see, though I find it hard to believe you'd come to me for any problem not concerning our dear king," Murata smiled wickedly, "Unless of course your problem does have something to do with Shibuya?" Despite what some people might think the sage was fond of Wolfram, few people in Shin Makoku would willingly challenge him other than the blond. It really was quite refreshing.

"You know it is utterly infuriating when I can't tell if you really know what's going on or if you're just blowing smoke out your ass." Wolfram smirked as he watched the double black try not to burst out laughing.

"Ahem. Well I suppose it wouldn't hurt to, just this once, let you know that I really don't know why you're here. Though I'm sure that no one would believe you if you told them that. After all I am the Great Sage."

"Who sleeps far too late into the day." Wolfram had to admit Murata was strangely like-able, he could see why so many people trusted him past lives or not.

"Bah! I'm enjoying the peace now that Shibuya has finally gotten over the need to have his hand held through every little decision." Murata flopped down on a chair as he spoke. "Now then I may not know why you are here but I can tell you're stalling." The light flashed over Murata's glasses and Wolfram hoped that someday someone would steal the annoying lenses when the sage wasn't looking.

"You really are annoying somedays," shaking his head Wolfram continued, "I've overheard a bit of information that could have an impact on the lives of some people."

"Go on." Murata couldn't help but wonder what could make the normally flippant blond so serious.

"Yuri has made a decision that I believe is in his best interest and the best interest of Shin Makoku as well. But there are certain consequences that he is unaware of." Wolfram glanced at the dark haired man as he fought the urge to pace back and forth, "His choice will speed up the progress of certain occurrences. It would have happened anyway eventually, and it's hardly a nation destroying kind of event. However, it's not a happy occurrence and it will bring grief to a few of Shin Makoku's residents. I'm left with the problem of deciding if I should tell him or not. I think he's made the right choice, but you know him he'd rather be miserable than let even one of his people have a moment of unhappiness. Do you think I should tell him?" As he finished he looked toward Murata trying to look undecided despite the fact that he already knew what he planned to do.

"Hum that's a tough one…" Murata truly wondered why it seemed that charismatic blonds thought he was the best person to help them make self destructive moves. At least Shibuya usually only wanted help picking out clothes for the latest ball. He wasn't a fool, he'd seen a great many people make huge sacrifices for what they saw as the greater good and Wolfram seemed on the edge of making such a sacrifice. The question here was whether Wolfram was getting ready to do something for the greater good or just punishing himself for no good reason. "You know I'd be better able to advise you if I knew the particulars of this situation."

"I'm sure you would, but then you'd be able to tell Yuri yourself, defeating my reason for asking you for help." Wolfram seemed to know that Murata had at least partially guessed the reason for his visit beyond the superficial question.

"Hummmm quite a dilemma. Well then lets focus on the different aspects of the issue then. You say this occurrence you speak of was bound to happen any way but Shibuya is going to unwittingly speed it up, how exactly does that work?" Murata wasn't surprised that the former prince was unwilling to be frank about everything, but every tidbit of information helped.

"That is correct, Yuri's arrival haulted it but did not remove the source of the problem." As the words left his mouth Wolfram cursed mentally, he really shouldn't have said that.

"And you truly feel that it is in the country's best interest for this to happen?" Murata's interest grew, there were few things that had happened in the years leading up to Yuri's arrival that had escaped Shinou's notice. The old king had payed special attention to those entrusted with the keys.

"I… well I don't suppose that it happening is good for Shin Makoku but the decision leading up to it is."

"Wolfram… I don't know about you but I'm getting tired of word games I've had enough of them to last more lives than I've lived. It sounds to me as though you've already made your choice. If I promise not to tell Shibuya will you just tell me what's going on?" It wasn't the smartest move Murata could have made, eventually he could have danced around the topic long enough for Wolfram to slip up. However, at that moment it seemed easier to eventually slip out of a promise than spend the entire morning crafting ridiculously thought out questions.

"If you swear not to speak to anyone about what I tell you, then I suppose I can let you in on the situation." It was going better than Wolfram had hoped, apparently catching the sage while he was still sleepy was a good move. Murata might be a right sneaky bastard when he wanted to be but once he gave his word he didn't go back on it.

"Fine, fine I swear I won't repeat any of the information you give me. Now tell me what the heck is going on."

"Well," Wolfram took a calming breath, "have you ever heard of Mausetot?" At the sage's wide eyed nod he continued, "A few months before Yuri's arrival I had an unfortunate run in with a rouge sorcerer who had managed to make some of the poison on his own. By the end of that day I had inhaled a significant amount of the stuff. Once the man was no longer a direct threat to anyone those of us present decided it was best to keep certain facts of the incident to ourselves in order to keep the chance of war to a minimum. At this moment there are only three other individuals besides you and I who are aware of my condition."

"Wait, wait, wait! You're telling me that you are dieing and practically no one knows?! How the hell did you manage that?" Murata had expected something odd but this was just flat out crazy.

"I'm pretty good at extracting promises," a ghost of his usual smirk crossed the blond's face as he took in Murata's expression. Groaning the sage tilled his head back and closed his eyes, this really wasn't his morning.

"Ok so you big secret is you're dieing, but how is anything Shibuya decides going to effect that. Mausetot is one hundred percent effective at killing Mazoku, no one has ever survived." Glancing at Wolfram he wished he'd just played the stupid word games, now he was stuck as a co-conspirator once again.

"Funny, I'd have thought you would have figured that out already," laughing inwardly at Murata's disgruntled glare he continued, "I shouldn't be dieing, I should be dead already. My health had already started to decline when Yuri entered our world. It wasn't until after I woke up from the duel that I really noticed that I was hurting less than I had in months, I was able to call on my element in full. The exchange of Maryoku from the engagement was pumping healing energy into me at an amazing rate. I could still feel the poison in me but it had stopped damaging me. Theoretically I could have lived a full life after marrying Yuri. Yesterday I overheard him talking with Gunter. He's planning on dissolving the engagement. I'll be dead in less than a year." As he finished Wolfram turned to glare towards the bed, he wasn't sure he wanted to see the sage's reaction. If Murata wasn't willing to help him getting out of the castle would be next to impossible.

"Great just great. I'm guessing you have a reason you don't just tell Shibuya. You know he'd marry you just to keep you alive." Murata was fairly sure he knew the blond's motivation but he wanted to be sure before saying it out loud. It was best not to give him more ideas than he already had.

"That's the problem he would marry me but it would be against his desires. At best it would be a loveless marriage where in both of us would be miserable. He's not really ready for the life of a married man especially to another man. I'm not sure he'd actually be able to consummate the marriage anyway. I hate to say it but if he had been just some random noble I might have pushed for the wedding. But Yuri isn't some random noble man he's the Maou, our king. If our leader is miserable our country will suffer." Wolfram fought to keep his voice steady and at a normal tone, it wouldn't do to start yelling at this point.

"Surely you don't think all marriages are based on love and whatnot. A great many political marriages have worked out over the years. Some have actually blossomed with love."

"I'm not an idiot. But usually both people in a political marriage are gaining something. Yuri would feel nothing but me as a burden to him. Sure he might be glad to see me alive for a few years but eventually he's going to resent the fact that he can't have the pretty lady he wants. Hell he couldn't even turn to prostitutes if he wanted to keep me alive. As soon as he laid with another the Maryoku flow would stop and I'd start dieing again," despite his conviction Wolfram started to loose himself in his emotions, "I'm so sick of this! Every time I see him looking at some women I wonder if I'll feel the engagement break that night. Now he's breaking it himself, and Shinou help me I can't blame him."

"Wolfram…" Murata watched amazed as a few tears slipped down the blond's cheek, "I'm sorry, this is a bad situation."

"No! No. Don't say you're sorry, it does no good. If you really feel bad about this help me." Wolfram turned to the sage and to a step closer to him.

"What! How the devil do you expect me to help you?" Murata couldn't help but wonder if blond Mazoku were born with a specific gene that made them able to confuse him more than any others.

"You're the only one who I can trust that Yuri will listen to without over thinking it." As he spoke Wolfram moved directly in front of the sage and kneeled before him, "Please you have to get him to let me leave the castle. You know as well as I do that even after he breaks the engagement he's not going to let me leave. You don't even have to make it seem like I'm going to be gone forever, tell him I just need some time to cool off, get over my broken heart whatever it takes. Please."

"I… Wolfram," the sage was shocked to see the normally proud man on the ground before him pleading, "If you go you're going to be gone forever, do you plan to just disappear into the world. Yuri will get concerned after a while, especially if you don't send the occasional letter to your family."

"I know. I have a few men who know of my condition. I'll take them with me and when I die they will return to the castle and report that I died in a natural disaster or in a skirmish with some criminals. That will give my family the closure they need without knowing the real cause of my death." It went against his nature to show so much weakness but it was the best way to convince the sage to do this, so the blond stayed at the sage's feet.

"Wolfram you don't have to die. Why are you so set on doing this?" Murata couldn't help but lean forward in is chair bringing his face close to stare at the blond head bowed before him.

"I know I could weasel a few more years out of my life but the costs aren't worth it. I'm not supposed to be breathing right now; I should have been burned on my funeral pyre years ago. Please Murata… Ken help me leave before my death or life causes more hurt than necessary." With his last words Wolfram turned his eyes up to look into the black eyes inches from his own trying to put as much pleading into them as he could.

"Oh Wolfram," with a great sigh Murata looked away from Wolfram's eyes, "Ok. I'll do it. When the news of the engagement breaks I'll talk to him. I can't promise he'll listen to me, in fact I almost hope he doesn't."

"Thank you." Wolfram picked up the sage's hand and raised it to touch his forehead. It was an old gesture and Murata was surprised anyone still used it, in that simple motion Wolfram accepted Murata's help and made them partners of a sort. Shinou had done the same so many years ago as they made the plan to destroy Soushu along with the old king's soul. He really hated that gesture. Murata watched as Wolfram stood somewhat gingerly and regained his composure. It was a striking transformation leaving behind a bratty young man poised and perfect, unless you looked closely at his eyes. Murata wondered if they had always been that grim and dull, he'd never really looked that close at the Mazoku. As Wolfram nodded in his direction before slipping quickly out the door Murata began trying to think of ways to make this situation any more palatable. At that moment he couldn't think of any, for once he hoped Shinou had a plan because he surely didn't.

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AN: Wow this one just did not want to be written. Murata's a hard guy to write.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Despite the abhorrent amount of Kyo Kara Maou merchandise I own, I lay no claim to the series it's self.

Rated M for foul language, alcohol usage, dark themes, and possible mentions of homosexual sex in later chapters. If you are not mature enough to deal with these please turn back now.

Chapter 7

Gunter watched Yuri run out of the Maou's office like a bird with its tail feathers aflame. Watching the double black panic was one of his guilty pleasures. The excuses Heika used just to get out of learning a bit of historical information could be down right ridiculous. He straightened a few of the papers that had been disturbed during Yuri's rant and eventual escape from the office. Even though he was due to meet with Gwendal within the hour it went against his nature to leave Heika's office in disarray. Every other room in the castle may be fair game for what had been dubbed Gunter tornadoes but that particular office was a near sacred space for him. After picking up the last few papers he departed the room and made his way towards his own office. With the object of his strange obsession out of sight his thoughts returned to a more normal pattern. This newest development with Yuri Heika and Wolfram ran thought his mind as he walked. He had known that Yuri would eventually make up his mind concerning his engagement. As far as he was concerned the situation had dragged on far too long as it was. Lord Bielefeld wasn't his favorite person but even Gunter could admit the younger Mazoku had been more patient than was expected. He had anticipated Wolfram would have pushed the Maou into wedding years ago, but the blond had left the subject of an actual marriage alone for the most part. In many ways Gunter was unsure if Wolfram really wanted to marry Yuri, his accusations of the Maou's infidelity suggested he didn't want anyone else to marry the double black but he rarely made any amorous moves toward Yuri. He couldn't help but think perhaps this really would be a blessing for both members of the royal couple. Yuri was still quite young and despite his rank and military experience Wolfram had very little experience in the ways of love and romance. In the years before Yuri came Gunter had seen a great many men and women come to the castle looking to woo the third prince. Most had assumed that the only child to inherit Lady Celi's looks had inherited her views on free love as well. They had tried to worm their way into his bed with compliments and gifts only to leave the castle angry and somewhat charred when their affections were not returned. He guessed that Wolfram's initial actions after the engagement was established were due too the blond's own experience with would be lovers. Still hearing about the Mazoku's sleepwear, or lack there of, that first night he spent with Heika was quite the shock. Yuri had always been a symbol of hope and innocence to Gunter. How this one double black boy could come along and get such results with so little bloodshed amazed the lavender haired warrior, and of course in his eyes Heika was also extremely sexy.

As Gunter pushed open the doors to his own office he noticed a few maids walking quickly down the halls whispering amongst themselves. He could only wonder what the newest rumor would be and hope none of them had over heard his conversation with the Maou. It would be a disaster should Wolfram hear of Yuri's thoughts on ending the engagement through such rumors. He would have to coach Yuri on being gentle about it, or better yet suggest Conrart help the Maou out. Yuri always seemed to listen to the half-human far more seriously than he did any other. Glancing about his office with its piles of books and loose notes piled haphazardly he began gathering the documents pertaining to the castle's expenses for the coming season. Gwendal had asked him to look into spending on frivolous luxuries; the Maou had recently suggested that less money be spent on fancy balls and more spent on improving the lives of Shin Makoku's people. It was one of the decisions that Yuri had been making recently that made many believe he was finally growing into the king he had the potential to be. He knew finances would likely be the smallest part of the coming meeting with his new bit of information but it would be simply unbecoming not to be prepared for the original purpose of the meeting.

He noticed one of the papers he needed resting on the top shelf of one of the book cases and moved to retrieve it. His fingers didn't quite reach the paper standing normally so he stretched towards it rising to rest his weight on the ball of one foot while the other foot lifted gracefully off the ground behind him. When a warm hand snaked around his waist the lavender haired man fought back a startled squeak. His skills as a swordsman and fighter had not waned but there was always one Mazoku able to blatantly stroll past his awareness when ever he wanted to. The nearly forgotten paper was snagged in the grasp of a second hand appearing on Gunter's other side. Gunter smiled at the familiar uniform wrapped around the arm that was now sliding to rest on his hip after depositing the document on a lower shelf. The royal adviser couldn't contain a shiver as a breath ghosted past his ear in an annoyed sigh.

"You're late," a voice grumbled from behind Gunter sending vibrations along his spine.

"Mmm am I?" Gunter subtly leaned back to rest some of his weight on the man behind him.

"As you always are when Heika returns," the hints of resentment laced in the man's voice left Gunter struggling to keep a wicked smirk off his face.

"Is that so? I hadn't noticed," Gunter twisted his body to face the one holding on to him, "Perhaps jealousy runs in your family Lord Voltaire?" Instead of the expected scowl Gunter was greeted with the face of a smirking Gwendal.

"Perphaps is does, but then again knowing the wicked things you'd do to Heika given the chance who would blame me?" One of Gwendal's hands slipped a bit to rest on the lowest part of Gunter's back.

"Would you prefer I did such wicked things to you then?" Gunter rarely got to see this playful side of Gwendal and intended to exploit it fully and hope the more stoic man forgot all about the reason for their meeting. He wrapped his arms around Gwendal's neck and pulled their bodies closer together.

"Hum …I think being your commanding officer I'd order you to." Gwendal grinned as he lowered his lips to the pair slightly lower than his own. A deep groan came from Gunter as their mouths met sweetly. A few passes of a moist tongue had the older Mazoku opening his lips invitingly. Gwendal's hand slid even lower to cup Gunter's ass. Their tongues danced gently, neither man looking to over power the other. Graceful fingers threaded their way into dark grey hair as the kiss continued. The two were well accustomed to the other's desires and skill. Their lips separated slightly, each drawing air in a bit more desperately than they had been before.

"Well well if this is the reaction I get for staying late with Heika I may have to do so more often." Gunter's eyes opened slowly taking in the satisfied look of his lover's face.

"Humph if you spend much more time with him than you already do I imagine Wolfram would have your head on a platter, and I have no desire to kiss a dead man." Despite knowing that Gunter had no real ambitions toward the Maou Gwendal couldn't help but feel the stirrings of jealousy when ever the older man mentioned Yuri in a less than proper manner.

"Well then I'll just have to make sure I stay alive then, as I fully intend to receive your kisses for a very long time to come." The faint blush that rose to Gwendal's face amused the adviser greatly. He was one of the few people able to evoke a reaction out of the army commander, and the only one able to make him blush with so few words.

"You'll have to stay away from Heika then. It's been quite a while since Wolfram's last rage. I imagine he's about ready to blow up." Gwendal was slowly becoming somewhat suspicious of Gunter's actions. The lavender haired man rarely allowed himself to be held for long outside of a bedroom unless there was some sort of trouble brewing.

"Mmm perhaps," seeing the lines forming between Gwendal's brows Gunter sighed loudly and took a step backward. Gwendal's hands retreated slowly from his body before the adviser continued speaking, "I'm afraid he is going to get a prime chance to vent his anger soon, but I won't be the target." Gwendal made a questioning noise and raised one eyebrow indicating that Gunter should elaborate. Gunter ignored the quandary and turned to make sure the lock on his door was properly latched, it was of course he couldn't imagine his lover making such a bold move if there was any chance that someone could walk in on them.

"Gunter what are you on about? Who will be the target of my brother's anger?" Given that the advisor's straight forward nature was one of the features that drew Gwendal to him this avoidance was worrisome.

"Heika asked me about breaking engagements today," the swift intact of air that followed Gunter's words was the closest Gwendal got to a shocked gasp. "I doubt it will happen today but soon Heika will cancel the engagement."

"…Shit."

"So eloquent as always. It isn't going to be a pretty sight. I doubt the whole thing will go over with out some fireworks but maybe we can help ease the transition some. I was going to suggest we get Lord Weller to speak to Heika about using a bit more tact than normal when he does it. The last thing we need is Lord Bielefeld frying Heika."

"Shit." Gwendal seemed to be glowering at a small stack of books on the floor as he listened to Gunter.

"…Not the reaction I was expecting." A worried expression came over the advisor's face as he looked at his lover. It was rare to hear Gwendal curse and even rarer still for the stoic Mazoku to repeat himself.

"Shit, shit, and double shit. I can not believe that he's going to toss Wolfram aside like that." The slight vibrations in the room alerted Gunter to just how angry Gwendal was becoming. It had been years since the younger Mazoku had let his Maryoku slip out unconsciously.

"What I can't believe is that you are getting so worked up about this."

"Gunter! He's planning to break my baby brother's heart what's not to get worked up about?!" A few piles of books toppled over as Gwendal's earth Maryoku bleed out while he spoke.

"Stop acting like a child!" the slight shaking came to a halt as Gunter shouted, "Yes he is your brother but he is hardly a baby. He's nearing ninety years of age. I'm quite sure he's been aware of this possibility from the start. He'll be hurt for a while but as they say time heals all wounds. We need to focus on making sure Covenant Castle and Shin Makoku as a whole is prepared for this change. As soon as the news breaks we are going to be over run with nobles, aristocrats, and allied nations offering their sons and daughters as potential suitors for Heika. Lord Bielefeld was considered such a suitable match that very few dared to think about courting Heika. There's no telling how the rest of the family heads are going to take the news. They may well be offended that Heika sees the Mazoku they would have had rule them as unfit to marry."

"If it's going to cause so many problems why didn't you just attempt to convince Heika to stay with Wolfram?" Gwendal's anger had calmed some but he was still irate that Gunter was being so callused about Wolfram's feelings.

"You would have your brother stuck in a loveless political marriage? You know as well as I do once Heika makes up his mind it is nearly impossible to change it. He's finally decided that he does not want to marry Lord Bielefeld. Forcing the two together would only cause resentment with in Heika," Gunter noticed Gwendal's shoulders drooping slightly, a sure sign he had let go of his anger, "Plus you never know maybe the lack of a fiancé might make him miss Little Lord Brat, that or he might just realize what a drop dead gorgeous adviser he has and run off with me."

"If he tries to run off with you after leaving Wolfram I'd be forced to kill him twice," the dark hair man sighed, "I'll send for Conrart to join us, I fear it's going to be a long night." Gunter nodded solemnly as he moved toward the door to inform a servant to fetch the second of Celi's sons. They had much to discuss before the night was out.

**-----**

AN: Bit of a side chapter explaining what how some of the other characters are reacting. Well that and a present to my Gwendal loving beta. She's got a thing for our dear Gwen-y. Also thank you to everybody who reviewed!!! I'm horrible at responding to reviews but they really kept me going when I'm feeling uninspired!!


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Despite the abhorrent amount of Kyo Kara Maou merchandise I own, I lay no claim to the series it's self.

Rated M for foul language, alcohol usage, dark themes, and possible mentions of homosexual sex in later chapters. If you are not mature enough to deal with these please turn back now.

Chapter 8

Yuri stared dejectedly at the pile of paperwork on his desk. In the years since becoming king he had taken on more of the actual work that came with the title. Making important decisions on the petitions and applications that came across his desk was old hat. However, most of the documents that came to his office had been screened by at least one of his advisers. Usually Gwendal would sort out the types of documents by issue and importance and take out any ridiculous requests. Yet this morning all of the papers were stacked in one neat but huge pile. At first he'd try to deal with them as he normally would, scanning the information from each document one subject at a time, taking note of any suggestions his advisers may have attached and either signing his name in permission or placing them in a box he'd labeled rejected. None of the documents this day had any suggestions attached and they jumped topics sporadically. As he came a few pen stokes short of allowing Anissina to use him as test subject for Brighten-Your-Teeth-Like-The-Sun-kun he groaned, crossed his arms on the table and rested his head on them. He couldn't figure out what he'd done to make Gwendal so mad at him, he hadn't even spent that long on Earth this time around. Taking in the sight of a still huge to do pile and a depressingly short stack of processed documents he mused that this was just not his morning.

First he had woken up on the surprisingly cold floor of his bedroom fully prepared to scold the blond Mazoku who had undoubtedly kicked him off the bed only to find that Wolfram had never come to bed. His side of the bed was undisturbed, something that never happened when the blond slept. Yuri, instead of getting the good night's sleep he'd been looking forward to, had been plagued by haunting but vague nightmares. After dressing haphazardly he'd made his way to the dining room ready to see if he'd missed anything that had happened while he was away that would explain Wolfram's absence. When he arrived the maids were fluttering around filling drinks for those already seated and preparing the table. Anissina and Greta sat in their usual places talking animatedly. Celi's chair remained empty as she was currently on another quest for free love and Murata rarely woke up before noon anymore. What surprised the Maou was the absence of not only Wolfram but Gunter, Gisela, Gwendal and Conrart as well. Any one of them missing wouldn't have raised any alarms but all five of them gone was incredibly rare. He glanced out the window and noted the sun was at it's usual height during breakfast so he knew he wasn't earlier than normal.

"Ah… good morning," Yuri spoke as he neared the table. The maids currently in the room bowed briefly and called out good morning in response.

"Good morning Papa Yuri! Did you sleep well?" Greta bounced slightly in her seat, she'd outgrown her tendency to hug Yuri every time she saw him but she still felt more energetic whenever he was around.

"Mmm not as good as I had hoped I would, I had some very strange dreams. Hopefully you slept better than me." Yuri smiled at his daughter as he sat down at the table.

"I sure did! Papa Wolfram got me a new blanket while you were on Earth. It's super warm and soft. It's made of wool but it feels just like I think a cloud would. I can't imagine how they made it so soft." The princess's eyes sparkled as she talked about her newest favorite thing. Yuri smiled meekly as he tried to take an interest in the discussion.

"So, Heika is having trouble sleeping. Perhaps my Sleep-So-Good-People-Think-You-Are-Dead-kun is in need of use." Anissina grinned wickedly as Yuri sputtered and baulked waving his hands side to side in front of him as if to ward off some evil spirit.

"Ahahahahahahah thanks for the offer but really it was just one night I'm sure I'll sleep better tonight."

"Did Papa Wolfram kick you off the bed again?" Greta's innocent and concerned question brought a smile to the Maou's face.

"No he didn't. Actually he didn't even come to bed last night. I haven't seen him since I got back. I was wondering if he was out on assignment or something?"

"Not as far as I know Heika," Anissina responded.

"I saw him yesterday morning, he almost never leaves the castle while you're on Earth." Greta spoke while she watched the maids as they brought Yuri his drink and began serving the food.

"That's weird, I can't remember the last time he didn't see me right after I got back. Heck usually the first thing I hear is him calling me a cheater or something. I wonder what's up with him. Not that I mind the reprieve or anything ahahah," Yuri trailed off in a nervous giggle.

"Heika! Is that anyway to talk about your fiance?" Gisela's words echoed in the room with a touch of her seargent's voice as she walked toward the table.

"Ack! Oh good morning Gisela. I didn't hear you come in." Yuri visibly flinched as he responded to the healer. He couldn't imagine what he'd done to make her mad at him. Surely she couldn't be all that angry with him for talking about Wolfram.

"Good morning Heika. I trust you slept well?" Despite the friendly nature of her words the tone in which Gisela uttered them was anything but friendly. Unwilling to further risk her anger Yuri nodded awkwardly. One industrious maid readied a plate of food and placed it in Gisela's normal place as the healer sat down. While Yuri wracked his mind trying to figure out what he had done, the other's at the table started to stare at him with a hint of impatience.

"Paaaaapa! Can we eat yet?" Greta whined in order to get Yuri's attention.

"Oh. Oh! Yes of course." Yuri blushed and took a quick bite of a green pea like vegetable that strangely tasted like strawberries. Once the king started eating the others at the table did as well. A few minutes passed with nothing but the sound of utensils touching plates and chewing before the princess's eyes spotted a man in a familiar brown uniform entering the room.

"Conrad! Good morning! Did you sleep late? Did you sleep ok? Papa Yuri had nightmares but I slept great."

"Good morning to you princess," chuckling lightly to himself Conrart responded, "I slept fine I just had a few errands to take care of this morning. Good morning Heika, Gisela, Anissina." The two Mazoku women nodded at Conrart.

"Good morning Conrad and for the last time.." Yuri started

"don't call me Heika, it's Yuri to you after all you named me," Greta and Anissina finished in unison.

"See even they know it," Yuri flushed despite the bravado in his words, "So where is everybody else. I haven't seen Wolfram or Gwendal since I got back and Gunter didn't even try to wake me up this morning." Conrart sat down as the Maou asked the question. A maid scurried to bring a plate to the second son, she was both annoyed and excited by the odd flow of people into the dinning room and kept her ears open for any hint of gossip.

"Well I know Gunter and Gwendal had some things they needed to take care of this morning, as for Wolfram I haven't seen him myself." Everyone at the table save the double black noticed the way Conrart's eyes darkened as he spoke his younger brother's name.

"I saw him this morning, he wasn't feeling very well." Gisela spoke as she caught Conrart's gaze. She may have made an oath not to tell anyone about the poisen but everything else was still fair game.

"Oh," a worried line worked it's way on to Conrart's forehead, "What was wrong?"

"Just a touch of over indulgence this time." Gisela smirked internally as she saw Conrart become even more worried, when motivated Conrart could be quite the investigator.

"Humm maybe I should go check on him," glancing down at his nearly empty empty plate Yuri remembered his self made promise to spend the day with Wolfram. The Maou stood up and waved cheerfully at the dining room occupants before attempting to leave. However instead of walking though the empty air he expected to find in the hall he ran head first into a green clad chest.

"Ack!!" Yuri bounced backwards and landed on his ass, "What the… oh Gwendal I didn't see you there."

"Hmph I can see that Heika, I trust you were on your way to your office?" The older man's stern tone left the king stuttering like a mischievous school boy caught red handed.

"….I .. Well ya see I ahahah," he trailed off placing he hand behind his head sheepishly.

"Surely you weren't planing on shirking your duties?"

"No! Of course not but.."

"Well then I'll see you to your office so you aren't disturbed." Gwendal turned quickly and headed towards the Maou's office. If anyone had been in the hall they might have noticed the mildly sadistic expression on the administrator's face as he lead Yuri to the office. Little did Yuri know of the mountain of paperwork that Gwendal had ready for him or the two guards posted outside the office doors to make sure the Maou wasn't disturbed. Yuri had very little chance of escaping his work this day, which fit into his advisors' plans just perfectly.

-----

Conrart watched Yuri leave the dining room and was sure that Gwendal had intercepted the king as was the plan they had laid out the night before. The three Mazoku knew that once Yuri made up his mind about a course of action he tended to work quickly to accomplish it. They had to make sure that Yuri wasn't planning to end the engagement in a manner likely to end up with half the castle burning. On top of coaching Yuri in tactfully ending the engagement they needed to be sure no one found out about Yuri's intentions before Wolfram. The destruction the blond might be capable of should he find out through castle gossip was a frightening possibility. He couldn't stop berating himself for not being there to wake the Maou, if he'd worked up the courage to end the engagement during the night it could have been a disaster. They had been unable to locate Wolfram till late the night before and had been relived that he'd been in his study since the Maou's return. Hopefully the fear of being made to model for a painting had kept the castle staff from informing Wolfram of Yuri's return. Conrart had made sure the maid who was supposedly cleaning outside the study would inform him when Wolfram left. The stout woman had caught up to him shortly before breakfast to tell him that the blond did not leave his study till sunrise and hadn't been headed to the royal bedchamber. He had been mildly glad that Yuri hadn't had a chance to to see Wolfram.

However, the knowledge that Wolfram still hadn't greeted Yuri and had drunk enough to need to see Gisela so early in the morning was wearing on Conrart's mind. Wolfram may indulge in a glass of wine if it went well with the meal or a night cap if he had trouble sleeping but getting drunk was nearly unheard of for him. Conrart hoped his youngest brother hadn't somehow already heard the news. Hopefully any nosey maids had the survival instincts to kept any inflammatory information far away from Wolfram's ears. As much as Conrart wanted to run off to find his brother the well fare of the kingdom came first. He ate quickly, trying to maintain a calm face to the others at the table. Most seemed to not notice anything different about his demeanor. Gisela shot him pointed looks, but that was expected since she had made sure to tell him about Wolfram's drunkenness. The healer had always had an interesting relationship with Wolfram. They were fairly close in age and had relatives that wanted to protect them a bit more than was normal. They fussed and fought but always stuck together. Celi had hoped the two would wed, claiming they would have the most beautiful children, however the two Mazoku never had any romantic feelings toward each other. Conrart couldn't help wonder if life would have been easier had they married as Celi hoped. Shaking his head slightly he excused himself from the table and went to rescue Yuri from the evils of paperwork. The Maou was always more likely to listen if he felt grateful to the person talking. Conrart felt somewhat guilty about manipulating Yuri, but it was in the king's best interest. Standing outside Yuri's office he prayed to anyone listening that the situation would work out for the best.

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AN: Behold a chapter and a bit. I really have my hate on for this chapter, it didn't want to come out. Conrart isn't my favorite character but he's the best choice if you want to talk some sense into Yuri not that he usually listens.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Despite the abhorrent amount of Kyo Kara Maou merchandise I own, I lay no claim to the series it's self.

Rated M for foul language, alcohol usage, dark themes, and possible mentions of homosexual sex in later chapters. If you are not mature enough to deal with these please turn back now.

Chapter 9

The clang of metal rang out from one of the castle's training grounds. A group of twelve men lounged while watching an additional two men sparing with dull practice swords. One of the fighters miscalculated his opponent's strike and over compensated in an attempt to block only to find himself knocked to the ground a moment later. He groaned, stood up, and dusted off the back of his royal blue uniform before walking over to join the rest of the men. The victor of the match looked out over the soldiers before pointing at one of the men. With a heaving sigh the man rose to his feet and approached the other picking up the discarded practice sword as he went. Both men shared a brief grin before squaring off and beginning to fight.

Wolfram couldn't help but smile as he watched his unit training mostly hidden from their sight by the shadow of one of the arches that lined the castle wall. A few decades ago there would have been twenty or thirty men but in this time of peace many of his men chose to return home to families they had before they became soldiers or attempt to start families of their own, he was left with the military career men. The blond former prince supported the men who were able to leave the military for other lives. He'd seen too many who were unable to let go of the fighting and blood shed. When he'd first been given the chance to lead a unit he had gotten two kinds of soldiers, those who had become burnt out and those who had no experience at all. Basically he got the soldiers no one else wanted. Very little had been expected out of the group of less than desirable men and their pretty boy captain but Wolfram was eager too prove that he was something other than the beautiful third prince. Despite a lack luster start the unit managed to make a reputation for themselves after returning home from some rather bloody battles mostly intact. They were survivors, some made claims that they must have held back and let others do the fighting but those who were on the battlefield with them knew otherwise. It had been years since the make up of the unit had changed by more than a man or two. The smile Wolfram wore turned to a grimace. Even the most cohesive unit could be thrown in to chaos at the loss of a commanding officer. Wolfram worried about the futures of his men, most of the younger ones would be able to recover from such a blow to their careers now that they had some military experience but the older ones were mostly in his unit because they had been passed around other units and labeled as undesirable. There were only three of his men that fell in to the older category, one was nearing retirement age and was already preparing to leave the military life behind. However, the other two still had decades to go before they would be expected to leave. He wondered if perhaps Gisela would be willing to take on a few personal guards if nothing else panned out for the men. Wolfram hated imposing on his friend so much but at the moment she was the only one he could really count on to keep a clear head once news of his death reached the castle. Shaking off his melancholy he walked towards the ring of soldiers just in time to witness the victor from the previous bout knock his second opponent to the ground as well.

"Nice work Edward, but you left yourself open again once Geoff hit the ground, just because your opponent is down doesn't mean he's out just yet." The men snapped to attention the moment they heard Wolfram start speaking. Edward, the victor of the match, blushed sheepishly at his commanding officer's praise and admonishment. He nodded his understanding sharply.

"At ease," with the simple command the soldiers relaxed some but did not return to the casual state they were in before. Wolfram rarely interrupted their sparring sessions unless he had specific reason to. It was the one type of training he left them alone during so that they could interact as soldiers without the feeling of being on display for their commanding officer's approval or dissatisfaction.

"Edward, Simon I need to speak with you two," Wolfram spoke calmly not wanting to arise any more suspicions than needed. The two soldiers were his right hand men when it came to military matters and it wasn't unheard of for him to discuss new training ideas and the like with them before implementing them.

"Yes Sir!" Simon barked out as he and Edward moved away from the other soldiers.

"As you were men," Wolfram turned and walked away from the group with Simon and Edward following him. The remaining soldiers glanced at each other mildly confused before returning to their training. Wolfram briskly lead the way to his study, which when needed also served as his office. He opened the unlocked door and ushered the two men inside. Few people entered his sanctuary for fear of becoming his newest artistic model, however his own men were unconcerned by the possibility and seemed perfectly comfortable in the space. Wolfram gestured towards the small office desk and the two chairs that permanently sat in front of it. His men nodded and walked over to sit gingerly in the chairs. After closing and locking the door Wolfram joined the men. His eyes flicked towards the leather monstrosity that sat behind the desk before perching on the desk itself. The action put him closer to the soldiers than would be seen as socially appropriate, yet he couldn't seem to care. These particular men knew him in a way even his family didn't, they had watched him go thought the grief of accepting his own death and had understood just what was going on. Their help and support had kept him from breaking down completely.

"Gentlemen I'm sure you are wondering why I asked to see you this morning," they nodded and Wolfram continued, "I'm not sure when but soon Heika will ending the engagement he and I have been a part of these last few years." The looks of disbelief followed by shock indicated the soldiers' understanding of the implications.

"But Sir that means…" Simon spoke softly not wanting to annoy Wolfram.

"Yes that means I'm not long for this world, situations have changed since the first time we knew of my impending death. With Yuri Heika in charge there is little to no chance of a war breaking out. However, he has a soft heart that would not deal well with knowing that he could keep me alive at the cost of his own potential happiness. All things considered I will, with a bit of help, be leaving the castle shortly after the announcement is made."

"Sir," Simon quietly exclaimed, both soldiers were looking distressed at the information coming to light, "are you sure that is the best option?"

"No, for me it's likely one of the worst options," Wolfram turned his head so that he was no longer looking at his men, hoping not to display his emotions more than needed, "However, it's the best for Heika and Shin Makoku. It pains me to have to ask this of you two but it would be odd for me to leave alone and I'll need someone to relay the news of my death back to my family once it happens… Oh hell what I'm trying to say is will you come with me?" After a moment of tense silence Wolfram was somewhat shocked at the arms that wrapped tightly around his shoulders. Edward had gotten up to hug him while he'd been so caught up in not looking at them while he spoke.

"I think he's saying yes and the same goes for me. You're our Captain; we'd follow you into hell if it came right down to it." Simon smiled sadly at the normally stoic Edward awkwardly hugging Wolfram and wondered how long it would last. How long before they had to leave? How long before they came back to inform Lady Celi of her son's death?

**-----**

AN: Ich I'm so bad about these short chapters. Well hopefully the next one will be a bit longer.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Despite the abhorrent amount of Kyo Kara Maou merchandise I own, I lay no claim to the series it's self.

Rated M for foul language, alcohol usage, dark themes, and possible mentions of homosexual sex in later chapters. If you are not mature enough to deal with these please turn back now.

Chapter 10

Conrart waited outside the door to Yuri's office listening for the usual sigh that indicated the Maou's loss of focus on his work before knocking on the door lightly. The sound of paper shifting hurriedly greeted his ears before the Maou's voice rang out.

"Uh… come in!" Conrart chuckled softly as he dismissed the guards and opened the door.

"Hello again Heika … Yuri." Conrart found himself some what amused by the haggard expression on Yuri's face as well as the sigh of relief that accompanied his recognition of Conrart. One would think he had been working for hours instead of the half hour it had taken Conrart to finish eating and excuse himself from the table.

"Conrad! I'm so glad it was you and you even got my name with out me reminding you. I think Gwendal is trying to kill me! He left this monstrous pile of paperwork and even left in some of Annisina's requests. I came this close being her guinea pig," he gestured emphatically and wildly as he spoke.

"Heh I doubt he'd try and kill you though paperwork." Gwendal had informed Conrart of his intentions towards Yuri's work load and the middle son couldn't seem to find any pity for Yuri. King and country aside Yuri still the man breaking his little brother's heart.

"No I bet he'd try to suffocate me with that donkey shark thing he made last month. I just can't figure out what he's angry about this time. Maybe it's because I freaked out and pointed Annisina in the right direction last time she was looking for him."

"Mmm I don't think that's the reason. Heika there are a few things I'd like to discuss with you, perhaps we could work on your pitch while we talk if you have the time?" Conrart could see the hope spring up in the Maou's eyes as he spoke.

"I'd love to but I don't think those pit bulls disguised as guards are going to let me out of here any time soon." Yuri grumbled as he glared at the paperwork on the desk.

"Oh I didn't see any guards when I came in, perhaps they had other duties to fulfill?"

"If that's the case lets get out of here before they come back," Yuri spoke in an excited whisper, as though he expected someone to pop out and stop him if he spoke too loud.

"Off we go then, but you'll still have to finish your work at some point." Conrart walked toward the door with Yuri in tow.

"Yeah I will I just need a break and some fresh air to clear my head." As they exited the room Yuri glanced about to make sure no one saw them leave. The two men walked toward their usual baseball practice spot, the whole time Yuri attempted to ask Conrart what he wanted to talk about but the older man insisted they wait till they were outside of the castle. Yuri began to have a mild suspicion about what the up coming conversation might be about and hoped his godfather wasn't too mad at him. Before long they stood in the open field that they had played in before the real baseball field was built. It was a huge bit of land that lacked any form of trees or decorative plants and only had a small storage building near the edge closest to the castle. In previous years various pieces of large military equipment resided there but now most of that equipment was stored in buildings just outside the castle walls as they no longer needed to be ready at a moments notice. Yuri's peaceful relations with the neighboring nations was partly responsible for this, of course having a king who could literally call down the raw forces of nature in a way that surpassed even Shinou Heika's abilities made them a very poor choice of targets.

"So, you going to tell me what you wanted to talk about Conrad?" Yuri spoke as he rifled through the storage building to get a ball and some gloves. He tossed one of the gloves toward Conrart as he waited for a response. The Maou turned expecting to see Conrart's smiling face as he put on his glove; instead he was met with the sight of the older man staring blankly at his glove.

"Mmm yes. You have been getting much more … mature lately," Conrart observed the blush that crossed Yuri's face before continuing, "Many of the tasks and decisions that a few years ago you avoided you are now facing head on. I'm proud of you for that. I just want to make sure you know that you can come to me, or really any of your advisers, if you need help deciding how or if something needs to be done. I'm not only talking about things related only to your duties as king but anything that might be troubling you." As he spoke Conrart finished putting on his glove and started walking towards the middle of the field. Yuri followed his actions even as his hung his head slightly.

"Yea jeez Conrad I know that," Yuri drew in a deep breath of air before sighing heavily, "I guess you talked to Gunter then?"

"Yes we spoke last night; he told me you'd taken an interest in certain traditions." As they reached the center of the field Conrart turned to face Yuri, taking in the dejected look on the Maou's face.

"Yea I guess you could put it that way. I… Well I asked him how to break an engagement." For the first time in his life Yuri found himself afraid to look Conrart in the eyes.

"I trust he made sure to properly inform you on the subject." Conrart fought to keep his emotions out of his face and voice. Maou or not the boy in front of him held his little brother's heart and it angered the soldier to think that it was not treated as gently as Conrart thought it should be.

"Yea he told me all about it," Yuri stole a glance at Conrart, "Hey Conrad um….. are you mad?"

"What reason would I have to be angry Heika?"

"Well… Cause the reason I was asking… I … um well I think I'm going to end me and Wolfram's engagement." Yuri's posture radiated meekness and guilt as he spoke, like a child waiting for his parents in the principal's office.

"I see," Conrart was in that moment glad Yuri hadn't been looking at him as he flinched slightly at the Maou's words, "I would hazard to guess that you've given this considerable thought?"

"Of course! I've thought about it a lot. Wolfram is loyal, brave, handsome, and pretty much my best friend. He's a great guy but I just can't marry a …guy. If he was a girl I don't know maybe something could have worked out but he's not and I just … Argh," Yuri shook his head frustrated with himself, "And the whole thing isn't fair to Wolfram. He's a totally gorgeous pretty boy, I'm sure that if he wasn't engaged to me there would be people beating down his door wanting to go out with him. Instead he got stuck in this joke of an engagement. He's never really happy with me even when I try to be nice I just end up messing things up. Maybe he'd be better off with someone else, someone who can accept him as he is."

"Heika… Yuri you've thought this through as a personal matter and while I might not totally agree with your conclusions I can understand how they came to be. However have you considered the political and social ramifications of your decision?" The shocked and confused look on the Maou's face let Conrart know Yuri had not let political thoughts enter into his decision. "Wolfram is a member of one of the aristocratic families and the son of the former Maou. By all accounts he is the ideal marriage partner for you in the minds of the people; to them it was like a fairytale. It's one of the reasons there were so few objections to the engagement. Many will wonder why you have suddenly rejected him. There is a fairly good chance that the rumors could turn quite vicious towards either Wolfram or yourself."

"WHAT!! Fairytale! People really think that? Jeez I can see Wolfram as the Prince Charming type but that's just weird. And what do you mean rumors?" Yuri was shocked that his relationship with Wolfram was such a public matter, sometimes the magnitude of being the Maou still made him uncomfortable.

"Well infidelity, lack of desirability, and betrayal are the usual rumors. Of course with your engagement being so public and with your position as king it's nearly impossible to guess every possibility." In truth Conrart knew the direction many of the rumors would take. His little brother's sexual nature had been in question for years; some even had the nerve to speculate that the blond had been made a eunuch so that Celi could have something closer to a daughter. The rumors would be vicious, wild, and mostly focused on the lower ranking party; Wolfram didn't stand a chance.

"Holy cow, that's not good Wolfram is going to kill me twice over." Yuri could only stare in horror at the vision of a flame wielding Wolfram hell bent on Yuri's death that flashed before his eyes.

"I suppose he will be quite angry, of course some of the aristocrats might be angry with you as well. Wolfram is the person they selected to become the Maou in your absence. They may take your choice to mean that you think they were wrong choosing Wolfram and they don't take being wrong lightly."

"Great just what I need, a bunch of big wigs with their feelings hurt for no reason," Yuri threw his hands in the air in frustration before looking at Conrart warily, "Any other depressing insights you want to give?"

"Hum… there are likely to be numerous requests for your hand in marriage once news breaks. Some of them may honestly wish to marry you but I would be willing to bet the majority of them will be attempts at gaining power through the Maou's marriage bed." Conrart had seem many such requests come for his mother while she served as Maou, and while Celi hadn't been naive enough to take the offers Yuri might if not properly warned.

"Ah man. So it's either marry a guy or be hated and treated like a piece of meat. I might as well just ignore mine and Wolfram's feelings and marry him to keep the status quo."

"That's not what I'm saying Yuri. I just want to be sure you are aware of all the ramifications before you act. Both of you are very important to me and I want the best for you." Conrart ignored the part of him that wanted to yell that Yuri should marry Wolfram for any and all reasons. It pained him to think that for one of them to be happy the other would suffer.

"Ok I get that it's a big deal, but isn't it just going to get worse the longer I wait? I should have set Wolfram free years ago but I guess I just got comfortable having him around. Sure he calls me a cheater and stuff all the time but whenever I really want to do something he's behind me one hundred percent. The least I can do is give him a shot at happiness. You gotta understand that Conrad, right?" The double black's eyes looked pleadingly toward Conrart.

"Yes I do understand. Have you decided how you are going to go about it then?" Conrart's anger at Yuri faded some at the realization that the Maou did care for his younger brother, even if it wasn't in the way Wolfram hoped for.

"W…well I… um… I was going to go with the k… kiss method." Blood rushed to Yuri's face as he thought about what he'd have to do.

"I would imagine so, the others are crueler than you would normally allow. However I was referring more to the when and where."

"OH! Well I was just working up the courage to do it. I guess I hadn't really thought about those things." With a weak laugh Yuri scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"If I may make a few suggestions?" Conrart waited for the Maou's nod before continuing. "You'll need at least one witness there to make it official, but make sure you have as few people there as possible. That should help keep Wolfram's pride in tact. Don't just do it and run off, it reflects poorly on you and will only fuel more rumors. Basically just treat the situation delicately, if he sees that you are sincere in your reasons Wolfram is more likely to take everything in stride."

"Delicately, ok I think I can manage delicate," Yuri nodded to himself determinedly, he was sure that everything would work out for the best. "Hey Conrad?"

"Yes Heika?"

"Thanks. I know this has to be difficult for you since Wolfram is your brother and all. I don't want to hurt him but I still think ending it is the best course of action."

"Perhaps," for a moment Conrart's eyes seemed to loose focus before settling on Yuri's timidly smiling face, "It's getting late I really should let you get back to work." Yuri's smile fell as he thought about the mountain of paperwork he'd left behind and his face worked into a frown when he realized that they hadn't even thrown one pitch. As the two put up their equipment and began walking back towards the castle Conrart found himself hoping that Gwendal included Yozak's request to instruct Yuri in disguise techniques in this morning's paperwork. Watching Yuri's discomfort might just make him feel better, who said passive aggressiveness was a bad thing.

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In another part of the castle Wolfram was shooing his men away to join the rest of the unit after their talk. The blond closed the door behind them, shutting himself alone inside his study. He had set his plans in motion as best he could with out raising the suspicions of half the castle. Now all he had to do was wait. He was frustrated that there was nothing more he could do until Yuri made his move. He'd been waiting on Yuri since the day he came to their world. The double black had become the center of his life for so many reasons. It was unrealistic to try and avoid Yuri anymore; he was vaguely surprised no one had questioned him on his behavior yet. Lunch was only a few hours away and Wolfram planned to be there doing his best to act the same as he had for the past few years. Numbness washed over him as he contemplated the immediate future, he aimlessly drifted over to the chaise lounge that so many had been forced to model for him on. He carelessly flung himself onto the plush piece of furniture, staring at the wall blankly until his eyes drooped closed of their own accord. And so the former prince drifted off into a thankfully dreamless sleep.

**-----**

AN: Phew. You know considering how much I dislike Conrart he is disturbingly easy to write. Next chapter should be the first bit of Yuri and Wolfram interaction. Even I'm not sure how that's going to turn out.


	11. Chapter 11

Rated M for foul language, alcohol usage, dark themes, and possible mentions of homosexual sex in later chapters. If you are not mature enough to deal with these please turn back now.

Chapter 11

Yuri stared at the destroyed and charred remains of what had been a rather nice chaise lounge only a short time ago. Watching the smoke drift upwards in lazy swirls he wondered how his plans always blew up in his face when they directly involved Wolfram. He could persuade the most violent adversary to accept a peaceful resolution, organize relief efforts for a neighboring country, and even talk his mother out of dressing him like a girl. However, Wolfram always found away into his room, always found him when he tried to hide, and always knew when he was lying. Why in the name of Shinou Heika had he thought ending the engagement would be the simple calm event he wanted it to be?

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The inhabitants of Covenant Castle began to settle down for the second meal of the day as the sun passed its zenith and began to slowly push towards the horizon again. The whispers of the maids buzzed excitedly as they nibbled their lunches and traded gossip gathered from the various parts of the castle they had been working in. The kitchen staff grumbled and fussed as they served those in the dinning room and sent out meals to those to busy to get food for themselves. An unusually full dinning room had those in charge of getting food for the Maou and the others at the table disconcerted. Of those who usually took their lunches in their offices only Annisina remained locked away in her lab, working on her latest attempt at empowering women. Gwendal alternated eating and glaring at Yuri. Gisela sat next to a displeased looking Conrart as the two conversed in low tones. Murata yawned widely as he pushed food around on his plate aimlessly. Gunter worried his napkin in his lap, torn between extolling the wonders of the Maou and listening for the cries of the bad omen birds he swore he heard on his way to the dinning room. The tension in the room was near palatable and only broken by Greta's occasional comment to Yuri about her morning studies. Though none of them drew attention to it, they all noticed the distinct lack of blonds at the table. Finally Greta asked the question that many of them wanted an answer to.

"Papa Yuri have you seen Wolfram? I haven't seen him all day and he usually at least checks up on me every morning." Her simple question drew the attention of everyone at the table.

"You know I haven't seen him either. How about we go look for him after lunch?" The Maou smirked internally at his cleverness. With Greta's cuteness on his side escaping from Gwendal's paperwork nightmare would be a piece of cake, and he'd be able to make good on his resolution to spend at least some of the day with Wolfram. Gunter's exclamation snapped him out of his thoughts of how to spend the afternoon.

"But Heika!! I had this afternoon's lessons all planned out! We were going to discuss the economic effect of the great wool shortage during the reign of the eight Maou!" as usual Gunter missed the looks of horror and disbelief his statements caused on the faces of those around him.

"Um … Wow! That sounds so interesting!" Yuri forced out his words with false eagerness before continuing in more disheartened tone, "But I'm really starting to get worried about Wolfram." Yuri being oblivious, as was his nature, failed to notice the glances passed between the older demons at the table. Conrart looked especially distressed, if the information Gisela had just given him was correct Wolfram already knew of Yuri's intent. The advice he'd given the king that morning may no long hold perfectly accurate. The lack of fires in the castle meant Wolfram was reacting in an unexpected manner. In Conrart's eyes an unpredictable Wolfram was a very grave thing.

"I concur Heika, his absence is peculiar and he was behaving strangely this morning. Though I'm sure a visit from his treasured fiancé will bring back the Wolfram we all know and love," Gisela's words dripped like sugar dissolving in acid. Her tone shocked Gunter and Gwendal as neither man was accustomed to hearing that level of menace in her voice. On the other hand Murata perked up substantially, he was sure that she knew something about the situation that was brewing.

"Ah ha ha… Thanks Gisela," Yuri nervously used the healer's comment to strengthen his case, "so it's settled then Greta and I will find Wolfram after lunch, even if it means missing Gunter's wonderful lesson on …um ….wool!"

"Oh well I suppose," Gunter let his flighty mask drift away momentarily as he stared at his daughter, still distracted by the fact that she had spoken to the Maou in such a disrespectful tone.

"Perfect," Gisela murmured mostly to herself. She didn't really want the Maou anywhere near Wolfram, but the longer the blond had to plan the harder it would be to make those plans unravel and keep him alive. The rest of lunch passed without much ado and all too quickly the maids were clearing the table. Using the first opportunity Yuri excused him and Greta from the table and rushed out of the room. They ducked down a few random hallways; Yuri wanted to make sure no one would be able to find them before they found Wolfram.

"So where are we gonna look for Papa Wolfram first?" Greta asked innocently as they hurried away from the dinning room.

"Hum… good question. I'm not really sure where he hangs out when he's not with me. How bout we ask around and see if anyone has seen him?" Yuri smiled at Greta before glancing around to see if he could find anyone to question.

"Yeah!" Greta exclaimed before spotting Dakauscas carrying a huge pile of laundry from one of the halls leading to the rest of the castle. She ran over to him and nearly knocked him over. "Dakauscas! We're looking for Wolfram have you seen him?"

"Woah… ack… phew," Dakauscas stammered as he regained his balance before answering, "Goodness Miss Greta! Well I saw him this morning with Sarg… Miss Gisela."

"Poo that's no good we need to know where he is now!" The young princess stomped her foot in a manner reminiscent of her blond papa.

"Well…" Dakauscas seemed torn before speaking, "I did hear one of the maids saying he was spending an unusual amount of time in his study, you might check there."

"Did you hear that Yuri?! Let's go!" Greta grabbed Yuri's hand and took off towards Wolfram's study at a near run. The Maou waved at Dakauscas as he was dragged off. Instinctively Dakauscas raised his hand to wave back at his king; unfortunately this caused him to drop the load he was carrying on the floor. A frustrated groan reached Yuri's ear as they raced down the hall. When they reached the door to Wolfram's study Yuri was breathing heavily and sweating. He wasn't sure if he was getting old or if Greta had way too much energy, as she seemed to be perfectly fine.

"Wow Yuri you don't look so good. I know, you check on Wolfram and I'll go get you a glass of water. Bye!" Greta scampered off before Yuri could draw enough air to tell her he would be fine. After a few more deep breaths Yuri was able to compose himself and stared ruefully at the door. Sighing lightly he knocked on the door and waited a moment to see if he would get a response. When nothing happened he gulped nervously and tried the handle. Much to his surprise it turned with ease and he cracked the door open and peered inside. As his eyes swept over the room and did not notice any signs of Wolfram, he almost closed the door to continue his search when he heard a soft grunt coming from the far side of the room. Surprised he tip toed into the room feeling more and more like a burglar as he entered the room and closed the door.

"Wolfram?" he whispered. The only response was the sound of cloth shifting on the chaise lounge Wolfram used to torture his victims when he felt artistic. Still doing his best to keep quiet, Yuri crept over to the piece of furniture. He made his way to the front of the lounge and was greeted with the sight of Wolfram's sleeping form. Once again Yuri was struck by the blond's appearance. He looked like a character from a fairy tale, only Yuri couldn't decide if he looked more like prince charming or sleeping beauty. Thoughts of sleeping beauty reminded the Maou of the kiss required to wake the princess which in turn reminded him of the kiss he'd have to give Wolfram to free them both. He nearly chuckled to himself as he envisioned the blond's anger if he was woken up with such a kiss. He stared down at his fiancé, debating on the wisdom of waking the peacefully sleeping man at all.

-----  
Meanwhile Dakauscas had picked up all of the laundry he had dropped and was continuing on his way. Just before he turned the corner he found himself nearly chest to chest with a flustered Gunter running full tilt.

"You there, which way did Heika go?" Gunter pointed at the surprised soldier nearly causing him to lose his grip on the laundry again.

"Ack! Oh dear! Lord von Christ sir! Heika and the princess were headed for Lord von Bielefeld's study!" Dakauscas heaved a sigh as he watched Gunter take off in his hunt for Yuri. His relief was short lived, as he continued to turn the corner he found himself standing directly in front of Gwendal who had more wrinkles than usual marring his face and Conrart a step behind him. Years of military service had trained Dakauscas to salute whenever someone as high in rank as Gwendal entered his line of vision, so naturally he raised his right hand and did just that. The pile of cloth once again tumbled to the floor.

"Which way?" Gwendal demanded while scowling at the mess now in the hallway. Somewhat stunned Dakauscas, pointed towards the hallway Gunter had just rushed down. Gwendal nodded vaguely in his direction, the elder's eyes and mind already turned towards the direction Dakauscas had pointed. Heavy footsteps echoed as Gwendal stomped after Gunter. Conrart offered a bleak smile before following his brother. Momentarily Dakauscas wondered at what had so many people in such a rush before he bent over to start picking up the laundry again.

"Dakauscas! What in the world are you doing?!" At the sound of his name uttered by Gisela, Dakauscas shot straight up nearly giving himself whiplash. "Get that stuff out of the hall this instant!" She paused a moment glancing angrily down the various hallways.

"Um Ma'am?" Dakauscas gulped as she turned her glare his way, "Heika and the others went towards Lord von Bielefeld's study, if that's what you're looking for." Before he even finished his sentence Gisela was off. Now near tears the soldier knelt on the floor to pick up his burden once again. As he gathered the last bit of fabric he griped the bundle tightly to avoid dropping it again. He began walking again slowly, making sure to keep an eye out for anyone coming from the direction all the others had entered from. Needless to say the finger jabbing lightly at his shoulder startled him terribly and he threw the laundry into the air. Cloth rained down as he turned around to see Murata's sheepishly smiling face.

"Hi Dakauscas. Nice weather we're having eh? You wouldn't happen to have seen Yuri would ya?"

"Lord von Bielefeld's study," his words were nearly a whimper as he pointed in the general direction of Wolfram's study.

"Ah I see. Thanks!" Murata grinned cheerfully before trotting down the hallway, he only got a few yards away before he turned around and shouted towards the once again kneeling soldier, "Oh by the way, you really shouldn't throw stuff around in the hallways. It's dangerous ya know." The sage had trouble keeping the smirk off his face as he jogged away from the sound of Dakauscas's enraged yell. With each step towards Wolfram's study the urge to smile left him. Murata had a bad feeling about this whole afternoon, and he'd learned to trust his hunches.

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Yuri gazed at the sleeping form of his fiancé for a few more moments before resigning himself to waking the blond former prince. Greta and her boundless energy would be back soon and Wolfram could be dangerous when woken sharply. He bent down closer to Wolfram preparing to softly whisper his name to wake him up slowly. With the blond's face so close Yuri decided that Wolfram was definitely sleeping beauty, because there was no way prince charming was this pretty. He opened his mouth to speak…

"HEIKA!!" Shouting Gunter burst through the door to Wolfram's study. Wolfram's eyes flew open and his body started to shoot into a sitting position. The door bounced loudly off the wall as Gunter ran towards the lounge and Gwendal's form appeared in the door way with Conrart staring over his shoulder. Arms flailing Yuri attempted to stand up straight but somehow he slipped and found himself falling forward. A nearly inaudible growl worked its way out of Gwendal's mouth as he entered the room with Conrart and Gisela ran in behind them. Yuri's mind slowed down and he was able to process everything that was going on, yet as his decent halted he couldn't seem to focus on anything but what had stopped him. Wolfram's right arm was trapped between their bodies and his left was raised in the air with a few sparks forming in the palm. Yuri's weight pressed them down on the lounge, Wolfram had turned his head when he made to sit up and now lay with his left cheek pressed into the upholstery. In the moment before the world sped back up, Yuri couldn't help but notice how soft Wolfram's cheek was under his lips. Everything was silent.

"Oh shit," Murata deadpanned as he walked in on the tableau. As if those words set off a chain reaction everyone started moving and shouting. Sobbing Yuri's name Gunter pulled the Maou off of Wolfram and hugged him violently, making sure to keep his body between his king and his lover's little brother just in case Wolfram got violent. Gisela cursed a blue streak and started over to Wolfram's side while Gwendal twitched violently. As if frozen Conrart couldn't bring himself to move until he saw Wolfram's arm begin to fall with a size-able fireball spinning in the palm of his hand.

"Wolfram!" Conrart ran towards his brother as lounge began to burst into flames. He grabbed at his brother and pulled him off the now brightly burning piece of furniture. The flames didn't frighten him but the blank look in Wolfram's eyes did. Yuri fought his way free of Gunter and grabbed a pitcher of water off the desk to throw at the fire. Simultaneously Gwendal called on his element and caused a thin layer of dirt and dust to wrap around the flames effectively smothering them.

"Your arm," Wolfram's monotone voice drew Gisela's attention to the two brothers' on the floor. Blisters began forming on Conrart's hand and forearm where he'd reached into the fire to grab Wolfram. On the other hand Wolfram was untouched by the flames. Conrart cursed himself; of course Wolfram would be fine he was a fire wielder. He could have walked into an inferno and would have been fine but Conrart's protective instincts took over.

"Damn it all," Gisela cursed as she let her medical instincts take over, quickly pouring healing Maryoku into Conrart's hand and arm. Conrart released Wolfram to allow Gisela to work. Thick smoke filled the room and Gunter flung open window to let it out. As the room cleared Yuri looked around taking the scene in.

"Um guys… where's Wolfram?" Yuri couldn't find the blond anywhere.

"He's right he…." Gisela stopped mid-word as she noticed the spot where Wolfram had been sitting was now empty.

"He left," Murata spoke from his spot near the door, "He seemed a bit under the weather." With an annoyed grunt Gwendal stormed off in search of his brother. Gisela restrained Conrart for a few moments more, making sure his wounds were healed. The moment she let him go he took off as well and with a glare in Yuri's direction she followed him. Gunter fluttered about nervously before making an excuse about getting the maids and practically ran out of the room. Yuri had a few moments to blink and stare at the suddenly very empty room.

"Papa… What happened?" Greta stood in the doorway, eyes wide and a glass of water in her hand.

"Yeah Shibuya what happened?" Murata's glasses reflected the light as he made his way out of the room. "Hey why don't you come with me princess, give your dad a chance to collect himself." If she said anything back to the sage Yuri didn't hear it. He stood in the middle of the room completely convinced the world was out to make his life as difficult as possible.

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AN: Well what can I say, tried to make this chapter feel a bit like the show usually does. And yes I'm well aware my grammar and spelling isn't so great. Honestly annoyance at reviewers only reviewing to tell me my grammar sucks made me not want to write for a while. I already spend as much or more time editing than I do actually writing and I get an old English major friend of mine to look over for big mistakes. I write for fun, not because I aspire to become a professional, so there are some mistakes I am willing to live with. I can hope you all can live with them as well but if you can't, well it makes little difference to me. Mild bitching aside I really do appreciate reviewers offering constructive criticism on plot and story lines.


	12. Chapter 12

Rated M for foul language, alcohol usage, dark themes, and possible mentions of homosexual sex in later chapters. If you are not mature enough to deal with these please turn back now.

Chapter 12

Night fell relentlessly on Covenant Castle. News of the dissolution of the royal engagement had spread to every ear within the building and by morning, it would be the talk of the surrounding city. Each day would carry the news further and further, until all of Shin Makoku and many of her allies learned of the events. However, despite knowing all of this, despite knowing all the ugly things that would be said, and despite knowing that his life was literally ending, Wolfram couldn't bring himself to care. After the disastrous events in his study, he had slipped out as quietly as he was able. For nearly an hour, he had wandered the castle aimlessly. His usual safe retreat now housed smoke damage and a miserable memory. He knew he had seen people as he wandered about; maids, soldiers, and other castle residents passed by him. It was only when the whispered conversations he kept catching bits and pieces of turned towards the relaying of the afternoons events did Wolfram exit the castle for the relative solitude of the gardens.

Now as the last few rays of light slipped beyond the horizon, Wolfram looked around as if only just noticing where he had ended up. Green shoulder height shrubs stood lined up to create walls in the east section of the garden. Shortly after Yuri's momentous return to Shin Makoku, the Maou had insisted that all castles needs a garden maze. Celi had fallen in love with the idea and nearly forced the garden staff to create such a thing. Wolfram drifted towards the center of the maze, taking in the sight of the stone benches and small fountain as he reached his destination. Four stone bee-bears stood atop the fountain, spitting water in each direction. Gazing at the feature, Wolfram was over come with memories. Despite beginning as his idea, Yuri avoided making any decisions concerning the garden. The gardeners had begun working under Celi's direction, but before the first plant entered the ground, the flamboyant former Maou took off on another cruise for free love. After hounding Yuri for months on how they should continue, the gardeners turned to Wolfram for direction. Despite his initial hesitation, Wolfram found himself enjoying the process of creating the garden and quickly involved Greta in the project. The two mapped out the paths, picked the plants, and commissioned stone masons to create the centerpieces. When Wolfram and Greta showed the then calf high maze to Yuri the Maou was unimpressed, though he tried to hide it in an attempt to spare their feelings. After having spent so much time creating a space and having it dismissed, Wolfram avoided the garden maze. As childish as he knew the avoidance to be, seeing the place hit a sore spot. The shrubs grew slowly and steadily and the maze became a popular spot to waste away free time. Even Yuri began to enjoy having picnic lunches with Greta in the center. Now as he stood in the middle of the maze, Wolfram inwardly cursed himself a hundred times over. The garden was just another failure in his attempts to make Yuri see him. It was a beautiful place that should have held pleasant memories, but he'd allowed his hurt feelings to blind him to that.

He stared down into the pooling water at the bottom of the fountain. Blinking furiously he couldn't stop the tears spilling out and marring the smooth surface of the water. A sob escaped past his lips and he shoved the palms of his hands over his eyes. Tremors flowed up and down his spine as Wolfram fought against the force of his emotions even as he slumped to his knees. Breath caught in his throat and he forced himself to stop breathing, hoping foolishly to suffocate the sobs escaping. His lungs burned awfully but he knew if he let go of the breath he was holding he would fall apart.

"Papa?" Greta's voice came from behind him; air rushed out of his lungs as he stood shakily. He kept his eyes on the fountain, wiping at his face to remove the tears.

"Y… yes?" Wolfram managed to keep his voice mostly steady as he answered Greta's call.

"Are you ok?" Greta stared at the silhouette of her papa as he slowly turned towards her. His face was dry but she could see the puffiness around his eyes that indicated he'd been crying.

"I'll be fine honey," his voice sounded harsh and strained to Greta's ears.

"Bull shit." Greta crossed her arms defiantly as she waited for a reaction. For a moment, Wolfram blinked owlishly at her. Then despite his mood seconds ago, he burst out laughing. Greta waited until his laughter petered off before speaking again. "Uncle Ken told me what happened. Half the castle is looking for you; I think the other half is praying they don't run into you."

"You know your papa wouldn't approve of such language coming from you." He watched her fondly as she walked to stand beside him. His little girl was becoming a woman, if not a lady in the strictest sense.

"Well I guess it's a good thing he's not here then. I swear he still thinks I'm eight or something." She cast a sidelong glance at Wolfram before sitting on the nearest bench. "So what happens now? I don't care what anybody says you're my papa just as much as Yuri is!"

"Whether Yuri and I are together or not you'll always be my daughter and I'll always love you. I'm not going to tell you everything will be the same; things will change but that's the nature of life. Gwendal and Wel… Conrart will, I'm sure, still think of you as a cute little niece, so if there is anything you need you can go to them."

"… Papa, um what's going to happen to you?" Greta scraped the toes of her shoes on the ground as she stared downward.

"Well," Wolfram struggled not to tell her the truth without outright lying, "I'm sure Yuri will want me to stay at the castle, so I'll be moved into the military barracks. It will be expected for me to resume the life of a soldier, which I don't mind."

"So I'll still get to see you a lot?" Greta turned her head to look at Wolfram as she spoke. With a great sigh, Wolfram moved from his spot near the fountain to stand next to her.

"I… I've been thinking it might be a good thing for me to spend a little time away from the castle while things settle down."

"What! No, I don't want you to leave!" She stood sharply, leveling an angry glare at her papa.

"I know you don't and I don't want to hurt you, but it's for the best." Wolfram knew he looked the picture of melancholy and hated that Greta had to witness it.

"It's gonna be bad isn't it?" Wolfram nodded in response, "Well I guess it wouldn't hurt for you to be gone for a little while," she sat down again, "But you gotta promise to come back."

"Greta…"

"Yea yea you never promise you'll come back, soldiers never know what's gonna happen blah, blah, blah… But you have to at least try."

"Ok… ok if there is any way for me to get back to you I will. But if anything happens, just know how much I love you."

"I know," her eyesight blurred with tears and she threw her arms around Wolfram's waist. Wolfram wrapped an arm around her shoulders and tucked her head under is chin. They sat there a few moments before Greta pulled back. Her eyes were a bit red but she had a small smile on her face.

"I guess we should get back, it's getting kinda cold." Greta stood and held out her hand for Wolfram,

"You go ahead I'm still not quite ready to go back." The smile on Greta's face fell slightly as she dropped her hand.

"Are you sure, I can stay if you want?"

"No you go; I've got some thinking to do." Wolfram shook his head gently and offered a small smile.

"Well… ok I'll see you in the morning?" She looked unsure about leaving but didn't want to be a bother if Wolfram really wanted to be alone. Wolfram didn't trust himself to speak, so he just nodded. Greta made her way out of the maze, glancing back at Wolfram until he was out of her sight. Wolfram listened to Greta and waited until he couldn't hear her footsteps any more. Once he was sure she was gone, he bent over with his head in his hands and finally let go of the sobs he'd been holding in. He wasn't sure how much time had passed when he finally stopped, the moon had risen fully and many of the torches in the castle had been doused. Gingerly he stood and stretched out the kinks in his joints. As he readied to exit the garden he had a sudden thought, he didn't know where to go. On other nights when he had gotten locked out of the royal bedchamber, he had slept in his study. However, the lounge he normally slept on was likely still smoking. With a mirthless laugh, he headed towards the military barracks, sure that they would have an extra bed to sleep in.

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Shortly after the incident in Wolfram's study, Murata made his way to the Maou's office. He was sure that Yuri was busy hiding behind his paperwork in an attempt to avoid some very angry brothers. As far as Murata was concerned, any retaliation from the Weller or Voltaire heirs would be well earned. He really liked Yuri as a king and friend, but the man could be such an idiot when matters of love and lust came into play. At least he hadn't passed his idiocy on to Greta. Despite being a little on the young side, the princess had understood what was going on when Murata explained the situation to her. The girl tended to act years younger around anyone who would let her get away with the behavior, but she had a good head on her shoulders. Once they had finished talking, she scampered off in search of her blond papa. Murata was glad to see someone so eager to comfort Wolfram; however, with the girl's departure he was left with the unenviable task of fulfilling his promise. On the bright side he'd come up with a plausible reason to get Wolfram out of the castle, of course the blond was likely to hit him once he found out his plans. After all, he had a reputation of being devious to keep up. Chuckling darkly to himself the Sage knocked sharply on the door to Yuri's office. Seconds later a timid voice called out for him to enter. The look of relief on the Maou's face upon realizing Murata was entering was nearly comical, especially since the Sage was in a mildly sadistic mood.

"Oh Murata! Phew, I'm glad it's just you. Um…do you know if anybody found Wolfram yet? I'd be looking for him but you know… I don't think I'd survive finding him." Yuri didn't notice one of Murata's eyebrows rising at his words.

"Oh buck up Shibuya. I really doubt he'd kill you. Burn off your hair, sure. Beat you to a bloody pulp, maybe. Heck maybe he'd get creative and tie you up naked outside the castle," with every suggestion Yuri's face paled even more, "Of course he could go with the old stand by for jilted lovers and just cut off your…" Murata trailed off, glancing down pointedly at Yuri's groin. With a girl-y squeak, Yuri's hands flew to cover himself, as though he expected Wolfram to jump out of nowhere and unman him.

"Hell Murata! Don't even joke like that!" With a nervous laugh Yuri let his hands fall away from protecting his crotch, "You don't… I mean he wouldn't do that. I'm the Maou right?" One more pointed look from Murata had Yuri's hands twitching to cover himself again.

"Hummm… I suppose you're right Bielefeld isn't likely to commit treason, but I doubt he's going to make your life easy after you disgraced him so… thoroughly." Murata casually perched on the edge of Yuri's desk.

"Ah you make it sound like I planned it that way!" Yuri whined as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"Oh good you didn't plan it that way… So when are you going to re-propose to him?"

"Murata!" Yuri started to complain but a sharp look from Murata made him change his choice of words, "Ok so I planned to end the engagement but I didn't want it to end like that!"

"Well Shibuya that's how it ended. Question is what are you gonna do now? You could live in fear of his retaliation, take your punishment like a man even if it means you aren't exactly a man afterwards, or… Well there aren't really many other options are there?"

"Come on you gotta know something I can do to make this whole mess less… messy." Had Murata not seen a good deal of dejected faces in his life times the one Yuri was wearing might have out done him.

"Sorry Shibuya you're just gonna have to deal with it… Unless," Murata fought down a smirk at the hope blossoming in Yuri's eyes, "Unless you give him some time to cool off."

"Sounds like a great plan! But… ah… How do I do that?" Yuri stood up triumphantly before slumping back into his seat.

"Simple, surely there is a town out there in need of a knight in shining armor. Send him off to do a little adventuring."

"Hey now Murata that's sort of a jerk thing to do, plus he's still my friend. I don't want him gone."

"You act like I'm telling you to send him away forever, just a few months, a year tops. He gets the time he needs to cool off and you keep your dangly bits." Murata could practically see Yuri coming around to the idea.

"Still that's gonna start some more bad rumors. First I dump him and then I send him off, sounds bad even to me."

"True… But how to go about getting him out of the castle for awhile without making it look bad," he almost felt bad seeing Yuri look so captivated by his words, "Hummm… Oh, here's an idea! Who has almost as much authority as a double black Maou?"

"Um… Gwendal?" Yuri whispered his advisors name in a tone usually reserved for children talking about a boogieman.

"Ah… close," Murata felt a bead of sweat roll down his face at Yuri's naivety, "A double black Great Sage of course!" Yuri continued to stare somewhat blankly at Murata. With a put upon sigh Murata continued, "If I request his accompaniment on a journey of my own it might look a little less dodgy."

"Ok, but where exactly are you going to journey to? It's not like you haven't been around long enough to see pretty much all of this world."

"Things change Shibuya. I've spent way too many lifetimes focused solely on my goal but now I don't have to worry about that anymore. I'd like to see what's happened to this world that I spent so much time trying to save." The dark tone in Murata's voice kept Yuri from speaking before he let his thoughts gather.

"Ok, so you and Wolfram set out to explore the world a bit, then you guys come back and everything is ok again right?" Murata pushed off of Yuri's desk as the Maou spoke and walked to the door before answering him.

"Sure Shibuya everything will be A-Ok," with those words Murata walked out the door shutting it behind him.

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AN: Ok two short chapters in one. Yes, yes I know Yuri is being an ass but really, he means well. Believe it or not, I like Yuri as a character; he just needs a shift kick in the head to knock some sense loose. Is just me or does Murata always sound so condescending in the show when he says Shibuya? And wow thanks for all the supportive reviews. O-O I was a bit surprised at the response, maybe I should right more author notes while in a flu haze.


	13. Chapter 13

Rated M for foul language, alcohol usage, dark themes, and homosexual sex. If you are not mature enough to deal with these please turn back now.

***** In accordance with Fanfiction . net's policies the last few paragraphs have been removed due to overt sexual content. They are not needed to follow the plot, however if you wish to read them (and are of proper age) my homepage link will take you to my aff. net profile which hosts the chapter in entirety. That said, this chapter does contain sexual content enough to earn the story's M rating, so consider yourself warned. *****

Chapter 13

Yuri sighed heavily as he pushed his chair back from his desk; he'd been working since Murata left his office and now he could see the moon from his windows. A few curious people had made excuses to get in to his office in order to check on him. Most he knew were only looking for gossip, one maid bringing him something to eat was normal but he had four different ones come bearing some sort of supper. Some he hadn't minded, Dakauscas had been stopping by every few hours to inform him of the status of the search for Wolfram. In the beginning it was just Gwendal and Conrart looking for their brother, but as the hours passed without finding him others were dragged in. It was ridiculous how well the blond had managed to disappear inside the castle walls. None of the sentries had reported him leaving, so the search remained limited to the castle. Silently Yuri vowed that if he wasn't found by morning they would expand the search. With the second sigh in as many minutes, Yuri stood and stretched. His hands clasped together he reached to the sky and arched his spine, little pops escaped from joints unaccustomed to sitting for such a long period of time. On the plus side he'd managed to nearly finish the pile of paperwork he had started the morning with, one less thing for Gwendal to be mad about. Logically, Yuri knew that as Maou he outranked Gwendal but the man still evoked his fight or flight instincts. A quick glance at the remains of his paperwork lead to a decision to quit for the night.

Leaving his office, Yuri headed for his chambers. As tempting as crawling straight into bed sounded, the thought of a soak in the bath sounded even better. Bypassing the bedroom he headed towards the royal baths. Once inside the doors he striped down quickly, throwing his discarded clothing towards a basket. Wolfram always cursed a blue streak when he left his clothes on the floor, something about impropriety. Even though he ended their relationship himself, it felt odd to think that Wolfram wouldn't have reason to yell at him about such things anymore. Everyone else in the castle might suggest that he do or not do something but he could always count on his fiance to make sure he knew when he was doing something inappropriate. Not that Wolfram usually explained why it was inappropriate. He chuckled lightly at the memory of an irate Wolfram throwing his black attire in his face because he'd left it at the foot of the bed. His mirth faded as he remembered the blond's face when he'd been woken with a kiss that afternoon. Sighing for what seemed the millionth time, he grabbed a towel and his favorite soap before heading to the pool they called a bath. Steam drifted upwards reminding Yuri of the smoke from earlier; it seemed the world was conspiring to make sure the Maou did not keep Wolfram far from his thoughts. Stepping slowly into the bath, Yuri allowed the hot water to relax the day's tension from his muscles. Once he was fully submerged and sitting on one of the ledges under the water, he closed his eyes and allowed his thoughts to drift.

"So this is where you're hiding…Wimp." Wolfram's voice echoed in the cavernous room. At the sound Yuri's body went rigid with tension and his hands flew to the front of his body, covering himself.

"W..W…Wolfram! Ah…ha…ha… what are you doing here!?" Yuri stammered pathetically, peering into the misty air to catch a glimpse of the blond.

"Checking up on my dear fiance of course," instead of sounding angry or possessive like he normally would have saying those words, Wolfram sounded bland and detached.

"I… but… this afternoon… the engagement," as he spoke Yuri's eyes settled on a pale figure approaching him. Wolfram was nude, save for a small towel tied around his waist. Yuri couldn't help but notice a slice of pale hip left exposed just below the knot in the towel.

"Mmmm oh I remember this afternoon. You bending down to kiss me, pity you missed my lips." Wolfram strolled casually toward the edge of the bath before kneeling down to test the water's temperature with his hand. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of Yuri's face as he watched Wolfram. The Maou began to worry that Wolfram was possessed again, or maybe he'd driven the older Mazoku over the edge of sanity.

"Um… Wolfram you know w… what that kind of kiss means, right?" Yuri's voice was near a whisper. Wolfram sat on the edge of the bath, tone legs slowly kicking in the water. Despite his worry, Yuri noted that the towel Wolfram was wearing rode up higher on his thighs while sitting.

"Yuri," Wolfram's eyes sparkled darkly as he spoke, "I know lots about kisses. Want me to show you?" A wicked smirk slid on to the former prince's face when Yuri began stuttering out nonsense. Pushing off gently, Wolfram slid into the water and treaded towards Yuri.

"W… Wolfram w…what…?" Yuri found himself desperately trying to keep his eyes away from the man approaching him. While staring studiously at the water, he noticed a white rectangle of fabric floating away on the ripples of the water, "Ah Wolf your um towel is…" Instinctively Yuri looked towards Wolfram as he spoke and wished he hadn't. The blond had closed the distance between them and now stood only a foot or two in front of him. The steam in the air had condensed on Wolfram's body and formed little beads of water that trailed down his skin. Yuri's eyes unconsciously focused on a single drop as it made it's way down a slim neck, past a dusky nipple, and finally over a taught stomach to join with the rest of the water.

"Yuri? Are you with me?" Wolfram's words were a question but his tone was far from inquisitive. The husky quality laced in to every word sent shivers down Yuri's spine. The Maou closed his eyes, trying to focus on something other than the man in front of him. Seconds later he felt a wash of heat that had nothing to do with the temperature of the water and a firm weight settle onto his thighs. Whimpering, Yuri opened his eyes to confirm what the rest of his body was telling him. A pair of green eyes stared into his only inches from his face. Dropping his eyes from the intense gaze, he was met with a sight that nearly made him pass out. Wolfram's thighs were spread so that his knees rested on either side of Yuri's hips. The Maou could feel the tension in those legs as the blond easily kept his balance. Pale arms surrounded his head, while Wolfram gripped the lip of the bath on either side. Yuri cursed the water for being so clear, because he could easily see the hard pink flesh jutting up from a nest of blond curls.

"Now then what did you want to know about kisses?" Wolfram leaned closer in to Yuri as he spoke. The movement made Yuri aware of something he'd been refusing to see when he'd glanced at Wolfram. The Maou's body had been treacherously reacting to the blond's presence. Wolfram let out a musical laugh as he felt Yuri's hardness brush against his own. "Perhaps it's not kissing you want to learn about." As if of their own volition, Yuri's hands slid around Wolfram's waist and rested at the bottom of his spine. The smell of honey drifted past Yuri's nose as Wolfram lowered his lips those last few inches.

*Thud* With a startled cry Yuri bolted upright in his seat, clutching at his forehead. With a panicked look, he searched his surroundings. The usual furnishings of his office greeted his eyes. He pulled his hand away from his head and stared at his palm. There wasn't any blood; however, a bright red blotch adorned his hand. Judging by that mark and the fact that he'd hit his head fairly hard on the desk, he assumed he'd managed to fall asleep resting his chin atop his palm. With a deep breath, he pushed his chair back a bit and looked down at his lap. The tent in his trousers wrought a groan from his lips.

"Ah hell not again!" he whined while holding his head with both hands.

"I'm sorry Heika… did I interrupt something?" Gunter's voice drifted from the doorway, sounding both puzzled and amused.

"ACK!! Gunter what… NO you weren't interrupting anything…" Yuri fought down the urge to hyperventilate. Since he hadn't heard the door open, he had no idea how long his adviser had been standing there. He prayed that Gunter hadn't caught him looking at the problem in his pants.

"I suppose that's a good thing Heika," Gunter still looked bemused but continued on anyway, "I thought you might like to know Lord Bielefeld has been located."

"That's great Gunter… um where was he?" Yuri focused on the information Gunter was giving him in hopes it would provide a distraction from the sensations still running through his body.

"It seems he went to the barracks to sleep. His personal guard did not feel it necessary to inform anyone until after Lord Bielefeld had fallen asleep." A perturbed frown crossed the older man's face.

"Well… I guess it's good that he's safe." The distraction was working; Yuri found it difficult to be aroused when he thought about how badly he'd hurt his friend.

"Heika?" Yuri looked up questioningly as Gunter spoke, "Ah perhaps it would be best for you to retire for the evening. It's getting quite late and I'm sure your day will be busy tomorrow."

"Oh um yeah, you're right. I'll head to bed in a minute."

"Alright Heika. I will see you in the morning for our usual lessons." Gunter bowed slightly in Yuri's direction, a few strands of pale hair slipping past his shoulders.

"Sure Gunter good night," Yuri vaguely noted Gunter exiting the room and closing the door. Slumping in his chair, Yuri let his pulse finally settle down to its normal pace. Locating Wolfram provided a sense of relief that surprised the Maou with its intensity. He really was glad Wolfram was safe, but on the down side he'd had one of those dreams again. Erotic dreams weren't that uncommon for men his age, but he was sure most men actually remembered what happened in those dreams. For the past few years, Yuri had woken up, on occasion, hard or worse yet spent with no idea as to why. Normally it happened while he was visiting Earth, but lately the dreams happened more frequently and in Shin Makoku as well. Luckily he hadn't had any while Wolfram was in bed with him; he could imagine the beating he'd get if the former prince found him like that.

Groaning, Yuri stood and glanced down at himself. He had managed to calm his erection to the point it wasn't blatantly obvious. Fighting back another sigh, the Maou left his office and headed towards his chambers. Normally he preferred to take a bath before going to bed, but for some reason a bath sounded less than appealing. He was also sure that the idea of a bath did not in any way cause a tingling sensation in the pit of his stomach, nor did it make him wish the front of his uniform hung down lower in front of his body.

-----

With his head peeking out from around the corner, Gunter watched Yuri exit his office. He wondered briefly if this was the sort of things spies did. He'd been a warrior for many years, but this whole sneaking around thing was out of his realm of experience. Never the less, Gunter darted around behind Yuri while doing his best to stay hidden. He watched the double black walk towards his chambers. Everything seemed to be normal, if one didn't take into account the Maou pulling awkwardly at the hem of his jacket every few steps. A fleeting thought of asking the tailors to lengthen Yuri's jacket passed through Gunter's mind, accompanied by the scandalous thought of the Maou wearing nothing but the jacket. Quickly shooing the image from his head, he thought it a bit odd when Yuri bypassed the baths and when directly to his bedchamber. Perhaps the day just been too taxing on the young Maou. Secure in the knowledge that Yuri wasn't going to spend the night drooling on paperwork, he turned to retire for the night himself. He was barely able to contain a squeak of surprise when he saw the figure standing behind him.

"Spying on the kiddo? I'm surprised Lord von Christ. Though if you find yourself in need of a good disguise, my closet is always open," despite the soft volume of Yozak's voice, the mirth at having caught Gunter was clearly audible.

"I was most certainly not spying on Heika. I was simply insuring the safety of our beloved Maoh." Gunter hoped his face reflected cool dignity, instead of the flush of a child swiping sweets from the kitchen.

"Sure… making sure he is safe, in Covenant Castle, during a time of peace, with more people awake and wandering around at this time of night than I've seen in a dog's age. Sounds perfectly logical to me." Yozak always found it amusing when he found one of the nobles acting anything less than noble.

"I… well yes… What are you doing here? I thought you were away on assignment," Gunter hoped the spy would let the subject go if given something else to focus on.

"That's right I was, but the blacksmith guy I was looking in to wasn't supplying the local ruffians with weapons. He was just taking his apprentice out for a little late night loving where the wife wouldn't find them," a devious grin lit up Yozak's face as he continued, "I think he would have rather had everyone thinking he was involved in something illegal, than let his old lady find out he was sharing more than his knowledge with his nubile apprentice."

"Gurrier!" Gunter's eye twitched as he stared aghast at the man in front of him, "Is there any reason you felt the need to tell me this, instead of your commanding officer?"

"Ah you see I've been looking for the Captain, to give him a full report of course. But it's the strangest thing, he hasn't been in any of his usual places or any of his not so usual places," the smile on Yozak's face remained unchanged, but his eyes hardened significantly, "And even though way too many people are still up, no one seems to know where he his. But they all seem to want to talk about the newest juicy tidbit. So tell me is it true? Did the kiddo really try to suffocate the brat to get out of their engagement?"

"WHAT!" Gunter yelled before shoving a hand over his mouth.

"So I take it there's a little misinformation floating around?" Yozak took in the distressed look on Gunter's face. The older man fluttered around a bit before taking off in a rush. Finding himself alone in the hallway, Yozak muttered sarcastically to himself, "Was is something I said?" Giving a mild glare towards the door to the Maou's chambers, Yozak wandered off to continue his search for Conrart.

-----

After word of Wolfram's location reached Gwendal, he checked in on the barracks just to be sure his youngest brother really was there. Two guards stood outside the room Wolfram was in. Gwendal recognized them as being some of Wolfram's guard but couldn't remember their names. Talking with them briefly, he was assured that the blond was resting comfortably and that Simon and Edward were in the room with him in case he needed anything. The information took a small measure of the weight off Gwendal's shoulders. Those two men were the closest things to friends his closed off brother had made since he'd joined the army. Mollified, Gwendal returned to the castle proper to rest, if not sleep, for the night. The footsteps he could hear echoing from inside his rooms took away from the surprise of finding Gunter pacing back and forth when he opened the door. After entering and closing the door behind him, Gwendal took in his companion's appearance more fully. Normally sinfully silky hair stuck out at bizarre angles, pale hands gripped each other rhythmically, and his eyes showed white around the edges. To put it simply, Gunter looked a wreck. Moments after Gwendal entered, Gunter's whirled to face the stoic man. Instead of acknowledging his presence, Gunter merely stared pleadingly at his lover.

"Gunter what are you doing here?" Though the two had been intimate for years, both felt more comfortable keeping their relationship unofficial. Most rendezvous were planned a head of time, so finding Gunter in his quarters was a surprise to Gwendal.

"I.. They're.. Oh it's just horrid!" Abandoning his momentary stillness, Gunter began pacing again. His hands flew about as he spoke, "The damned rumors have started," Gwendal's eyebrow raised questioningly before Gunter continued, "I knew they wouldn't be good but this is just morally reprehensible!" Gwendal allowed surprise to show across his face, he couldn't imagine what sort of rumors would send his lover in to such a state. He feared the beating his brother's reputation must be taking. The lavender haired man had never shown much interest in Wolfram, other than to call him lazy from time to time, so for him to be so agitated lead Gwendal to believethat the rumors must be truly nasty.

"What are they saying?" Bracing himself for the worst, Gwendal awaited a response.

"It's just awful! To think he would do such a thing." The pacing continued until Gwendal couldn't take it any more. Strong hands gripped Gunter's shoulders, halting his movements.

"Gunter! What are they saying?" The words were nearly growled into Gunter's face. Shocked eyes stared up at Gwendal briefly before Gunter answered.

"I.. They're saying Heika made an attempt on your brother's life in order to end their engagement." Gunter waited for his lover to agree that indeed this was a terrible thing.

"So the reason your so upset… *snort*," Gwendal let Gunter go only to cover his own mouth. His eye twitched and a flush rose to his face.

"Gwen…?" Gunter spoke softly not wanting to further Gwendal's obvious distress over the situation. Unfortunately, the older man had completely misinterpreted Gwendal's reaction. Unable to contain himself, Gwendal allowed the laughter he'd been fighting to escape. Not even the angry face of his lover could stem the flow of laughter. Masculine chuckles filled the room even as Gunter puffed up like a riled chicken. After a few moments, Gwendal managed to curtail his mirth. Gunter turned his back to his lover and let out a small huff of indignation.

"Gunter," Gwendal's voice failed to bring a reaction from Gunter so he continued, "Surely you can see the humor in this?" Gunter remained turned away. "We've all been so worried what people would say about Wolfram, and yet the first rumors are about Heika. I know you're worried about him, but things like this just don't stick to him. He'll flash a smile or two and walk around with puppy eyes, and before you know it everyone will think such a rumor is just as unimaginable as you do. Gunter?" He didn't turn but Gwendal could see the anger leaving Gunter's body. Taking a chance, Gwendal stepped up behind Gunter and slid his arms around the older man's waist. "GunGun?"

"Oh fine! You're forgiven. But I don't want to hear you laughing at Heika's misfortune again." Gunter relaxed slightly and laid his hands over the ones holding him.

"Hum… I'm afraid I can't promise you that," Gunter tensed up again before Gwendal continued, "I'll lay down my life and the lives of the men under my command for Heika, but my family's happiness is very important to me. Heika has hurt my brother badly and I imagine that I'll gain some measure of joy at his discomfort until Wolfram's heart has healed. I know that's not what you want to hear, but I know better than to give you anything other than the truth." Gunter sighed softly after Gwendal finished speaking. In truth, he wasn't all that surprised at Gwendal's reaction, even if he'd been hoping for a different one. He didn't even notice the stress and anger leaving him until he rested his head against Gwendal's shoulder.

"I know, I know. I just wish this whole day hadn't happened." Gunter closed his eyes and allowed himself to find comfort in the arms of his lover.

"It's happened any way though. Tomorrow you'll go see Heika and he'll come up with some unbelievably naive plan to get everyone to stop spreading rumors. And to everyone's surprise the plan will work perfectly, insuring that no one ever spreads nasty rumors in Shin Makoku again."

"Heh.. If only." Gunter smiled slightly at the idea.

"Now then it's very late for you to be walking back to your rooms."

"Oh is it now?" Gunter turned his head to look at Gwendal from the corner of his eye.

"Yes terribly late, it wouldn't be safe at all." A devilish smile bloomed on Gwendal's face.

"Not safe? Not even for one of Shin Makoku's most prominent swordsmen?"

"Oh especially not for such a man. Who knows what sort of person might be laying in wait to assault such a fine being."

"Mmm… well in that case I suppose I'll just have to spent the night here." He turned to face Gwendal and slid his arms around his neck.

"Ah no wonder you're Heika's primary adviser. You come up with the most brilliant ideas."

"And of course you'll have to play the perfect host, keeping me… entertained." Gunter trailed his fingertips along Gwendal's back suggestively.

"Of course," Gwendal allowed one last smile to grace his face before leaning down slightly to graze his lips over Gunter's.

-----

AN: Ok lemony (maybe) goodness kinda snuck up on me here. Wow, hope it didn't suck….. or rather perhaps I should say, hope it wasn't horrible. Anyway, our dear Yuri may have more going on than his innocent little mind can deal with.


	14. Chapter 14

Rated M for foul language, alcohol usage, dark themes, and homosexual sex. If you are not mature enough to deal with these please turn back now.

Chapter 14

A world weary Murata sat in his quarters, silently berating himself for allowing himself to be drawn into such a mess. At best, everything would go as the blond former prince hoped. The worse possibilities left his head spinning. None of them was world ending, which was a small comfort. However, Murata was sure no one would welcome him back to the castle should his deception be uncovered. He knew that he needed to talk to Gisela. The healer made it perfectly clear that she knew something about what was going on. Yet, the normally forthright woman's silence on the issue worried him. He couldn't imagine anything keeping her from doing what's best for one of her patients. Something was keeping her from telling Yuri about his status as treatment for Wolfram's condition, and Murata was fairly sure that something involved the blond himself. Agitation boiled up in is heart; he'd seen so much pain, so many failures, and each one seemed to be rising to the surface. Without thought, he stood and began pacing the room, whispered curses trailing in his wake.

"So… Turbulent my dear," a voice floated airily through the room. An annoyed rumble formed in Murata's throat as he glared about the room looking for another familiar blond whom had yet to appear.

"Shinou!" though whispered, Murata's voice was filled with irritation, "Another one of your plans!?"

"Peace my sage, peace. As… amusing as this little event may yet be, it is not the fruit of any plans of mine." A warm throaty chuckle followed the old Maou's words and Murata would have sworn that he felt a breath beside his ear. "In fact, I dare say this goes very opposite of any plans I may or may not have made."

"So you've been making plans then?" Against his will, Murata found himself calming. This game he played with Shinou was familiar, if not always pleasant.

"I've little else to do but plan and scheme my dear sage… and watch of course. Watching is always so much fun." Despite the lack of being physically in the room, Murata could see the licentious smirk slipping onto Shinou's face.

"Perhaps for you, but I've always found doing much more pleasurable."

"Touché! It is little wonder why so many have followed your… fountain of knowledge." Murata let out a small noise that could have been either a contained snort or an affronted huff. He wondered absently if the old Maou would ever outgrow his childish double entendres.

"Yes my… fountain that is something worth following."

"Indeed I have followed it many, many times." The words flowed out slowly, as if Shinou tasted each letter and caused a blush to rise up over Murata's face.

"Mmm, that was then and this is now." Murata spoke with as little infection as he could manage and focused his gaze blankly on the view outside one of his windows.

"Of course, yet as always you are more concerned with the future than the then or the now. Mayhap, you should see that which is before your eyes?" Murata nearly turned to snarl at the empty room, but movement on the ground caught his eye. The moon reflected faintly off a pale skinned, fair-haired figure leaving the gardens.

"Ah I see Bielefeld didn't wander too far." A faint agreeing sound was the only response to Murata's statement. "So was it a part of your plans for him to die?"

"He really should have realized everything by now." The answer was equal parts evasion and hint.

"And pray tell, just what should Bielefeld have realized?"

"Mmm… My pretty little descendent has realized much more than expected of him, but still remains in the dark about so much."

"And he's not the one you were referring to, is he?" He pushed his glass up to rest in a mass of black hair as Murata rubbed his eyes in agitation.

"Now, now what fun is there in being so obvious?"

"Oh for fuck's sake, just tell me what's going to happen!" Murata knew he was loosing his usually eternal patience, but couldn't bring himself to care. A few tense moments passed and the Sage began to wonder if Shinou's spirit had left the room at his outburst. Cool pressure pushed softly on the sides of his face, it took a moment for Murata to register that Shinou was cupping his face between both hands.

"I would tell you all I knew my sage, yet this is not of my doing, and what little I see of the future is twisting and turning. So many hearts and minds are undecided and warring. The biggest players hide in trembling shacks, afraid to see beyond what they have always seen. I have been into the depths of those who hold the ability to change it all. A shining den of safety to barricade away all but the most pious of thoughts. Such a heart can not strengthen without its most wicked desire." Each word was accompanied by cold breeze ghosting over Murata's lips.

"What?" Surprise radiated off Murata.

"The boy king and his prince should have married years ago; the ramifications may reach far beyond the imagination of most." Murata took a deep breath and focused on Shinou's words. The old king always chose his words carefully, no matter how flippant they may seem.

"May reach? Not, will reach?" The pressure abruptly disappeared and Murata was left with a sense of defeat that was not his own.

"I… I do not know. My ability to influence this would is waning and I can no longer see the full effect of the choices of mortals."

"Shinou?"

"My time in this world is growing short, but that is of little matter. The dead do not belong amongst the living. This will be your last life as my sage, go with my Wolf, see him though what there is to be done."

"I don't understand."

"And you need not understand. Go enjoy the world, eat, drink, fall in love, and …how do they say…get laid." Bawdy laughter echoed through the room, leaving Murata alone and fuming.

"Lecherous old man," Murata muttered darkly to himself. It had been late when the old Maou's spirit made an appearance and it was later still when he left. Thoughts of visiting the resident healer were put off for the night and Murata began preparing for bed. As much as he would have liked to sleep the coming morning away, it was beginning to look like another early day was in store. The last few candles in Murata's room were doused and the Sage crawled into the bed. He plucked his glasses off the top of his head and placed them on the table next to his bed. It took several minutes, but eventually he fell into a restless sleep. Nearly as soon as Murata's consciousness slipped away, a cool wind swept into the room. It moved through the room, scattering clothing and generally upsetting the order imposed by some industrious maid earlier in the day.

"There, much better," Shinou's voice drifted through the air. The wind gently stirred the hair falling onto Murata's forehead. "Sleep my dear; you will need your rest. This life still has so much in store for you and I hope you enjoy it to the fullest. You will not remember me in the next, yet I will finally be more than a ghost to you." Murata's glasses were casually swept up and tossed under the bed before the wind disappeared completely.

-----

Wolfram was dreaming, he could tell from the screams and smell of burning flesh that haunted his most reoccurring nightmare. He stood atop a hill, over looking what was once a quaint little village. It was one of the villages he'd been ordered to torch. In reality, the town had been mostly used by humans to store weapons, esoteric stones, and other implements of war in a location near the front lines of fighting during the last Great War. In reality, there had only been a few civilian casualties and Wolfram hadn't stayed to watch. Unfortunately, for Wolfram, nightmares couldn't care less about reality.

Flames licked up the sides of every building and filled the air with a dark, toxic smoke. The heat building inside of houses burst windows out in little showers of glass. He could hear the frantic whinnying of horses pinned in for the night as they panicked and died in the blaze. One horse managed to break free, singed and terrified it ran blindly away from the stables. Its progress was halted when a front hoof stepped onto, and summarily through, the unmoving body of one of the townspeople. Slippery viscera cause the horse to fall and break its leg with a deafening crack that only a dream-scape could produce. Wolfram watched, unable to move, as the injured mare writhed and thrashed. Each movement further mauled the body underneath it, spreading organs about like so much confetti.

A scream tore Wolfram's attention away from the gruesome scene, and he wished it hadn't. One door burst open and allowed a woman to run free of the burning building. She ran like a scared rabbit, trailing smoke behind her. Wolfram wasn't sure if she didn't realize she was on fire or if she thought running would put out the flames. Either way, the flames were quickly consuming her thin frame. Her skin itself started to fuel the fire, muscles stretching and burning at the same time. A few more running steps and she collapsed. Her face turned towards the hill Wolfram stood on. He watched as her jaw worked to form screams, even as bits of gleaming white bone started to show through the flames and charred bits of flesh.

Wolfram tried desperately to close he eyes; he knew what was coming next. Everything else about the dream might change, but never this. It crawled up the hill, chubby little fingers digging into the earth. Both legs ended abruptly before the knee and trailed blood along the grass. The pale glow of the moon shouldn't have been enough to show the blood as anything other than a dark stain, but Wolfram's psyche preferred full color details. Short wheezing breaths echoed in Wolfram's ears as he stared into the face of a young boy, no older than Greta had been when she first came to Covenant Castle. Inch by inch the boy crawled towards Wolfram. One small bloodied hand reached out to grab onto his pant leg, and Wolfram started screaming in his head and trying to run. However, dream Wolfram didn't care what the real Wolfram wanted to do, and so he felt himself bend down and clasp the boy's chin in his hand. Fire welled up in his veins and he distantly heard himself chanting a summoning spell. The boy's eyes shone with pain as fire shot from Wolfram's hand and engulfed his head. Wolfram tried to pull away but could only watch as the boy's face melted from his skull. Finally, the little body slumped and fell dead away from Wolfram's hand.

The last part of the nightmare was new enough that it didn't always accompany the rest. A horrified gasp let Wolfram know he'd be waking up screaming. Yuri stood a few feet away from him, staring at the destruction of the town and the empty shell of a boy at his feet. Wolfram could see the disgust written in every line of Yuri's stance and face. The emotion hurt, but was nothing in comparison to the fact that Wolfram still couldn't move of his own volition. He watched helplessly as one of the burnt villagers appeared behind Yuri, raised a bow and took aim. The sound of his own screams deafened Wolfram, but his mouth never moved and Yuri heard nothing. A whoosh of air and the vibration of string over shadowed the noise of Wolfram's screams, the racket of the still rampaging fire, and Yuri's softly whispered "Why?" The world seemed to freeze for a second, just before the arrow burst out of the front of Yuri's chest. Four inches of metal and wood protruded, glistening with the Maou's blood.

"YURI!" Wolfram shot upright from his slumber. He wasn't immediately aware of his surroundings and was trying to gather his thoughts enough to add the words 'you cheater' to his scream. Yuri didn't worry about his nightmares if he thought they had to do with some perceived impropriety with a maiden. Instead of the concerned black eyes, he had come to expect upon waking, he was met by the concerned gaze of his subordinate. Edward watched his captain come to full awareness. Nightmares were simply a fact of life for those whom had served in the last Great War, but every man in Wolfram's unit knew the blond's tended to leave him nearly unable to function for a few moments after he woke up. So, it was highly surprising that instead of staring blankly around the room, Wolfram was actually taking in his surroundings almost immediately.

"Where's Simon?" Edward fought the urge to raise an eyebrow even as he gestured towards the door in response. Wolfram nodded absentmindedly. Faint light was leaking in from the narrow slits of glass that lined the top of the wall, serving as secure windows. As usual, the bedding surrounding Wolfram was terribly rumpled from his restless sleeping habits. Two other beds sat along the walls, one bore signs of having been slept in but the other was perfectly made. Knowing his men, Wolfram was sure neither had slept the full night. They had likely taken turns sleeping and watching over him. The treatment was as embarrassing as it was comforting.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to hold the thoughts and emotions fighting to come to the surface. Before he could allow himself to wallow in the mess that was currently his life, a loud thump sounded against the door. The room's occupants jumped slightly, and Edward went to see what had made the noise. A second thump echo through the room just before the door swung inward. Simon half stepped, half stumbled in to the room. In one hand he held a cloth covered basket, the opposite hand precariously held a pitcher of water, and he griped a cloth wrapped bundle between his teeth. Wolfram found himself grinning slightly at the sight, especially once Edward began trying to help the other soldier deposit his burden on the small table in the center of the room. Every time Edward reached to grab an item, Simon would twist just slightly to keep it out of range. The two men danced around the table, frustration growing in Edward's eyes and mirth blooming in Simon's. They might have continued their little ploy to cheer up their captain if a loud grumbling growl hadn't interrupted their play. Both men blinked owlishly at Wolfram, who in turn blushed faintly.

"I'm guessing breakfast in bed was a good idea?" Simon spoke as Edward finally managed to grab the cloth from his mouth. Wolfram chortled briefly before nodding and getting out of bed. They ate in companionable silence, before cleaning up the mess and making the beds in short order. Once finished, Simon and Edward excused themselves to begin their duties for the day. Wolfram shucked the borrowed pair of short pants he'd been wearing and redressed in his uniform, he'd have to get one of the servants to move his clothing and other personal items to the barracks. It wouldn't do to leave them in the royal bedchamber, even if he wouldn't need them much longer. He'd made it the first night without any signs of the poison reeking havoc on his body and he estimated he'd have a few more days before anything became noticeable. Nevertheless, he needed to leave and he needed to leave soon.

-----

AN: Oye massive case of writer's block, coupled with cosplay crunch time = late chapter. Ah well at least it's out now.


	15. Chapter 15

Rated M for foul language, alcohol usage, dark themes, and homosexual sex. If you are not mature enough to deal with these please turn back now.

Chapter 15

Yuri was reasonably sure he didn't want to know why Sangria was glaring at him, and damn sure he wasn't going to be drinking the glass of 'juice' she'd sat down on his desk along with his breakfast. Different world or not, no natural fruit produced glowing green juice. She excused herself from the room with a degree of formality Yuri was sure he'd convinced most of the castle staff to ease up on around him. He'd asked to have his breakfast brought to his office with the excuse that he had some work to catch up on. The truth was, Yuri was afraid to face the rest of the castle residents. A good number of them had a significant reason to be angry with him and something inside of him crawled in discomfort at the idea of being in a room full of angry people. It was cowardice, it was spineless, in a word it was wimpy. In many ways, he knew Wolfram had him pegged correctly when determining the basic reasoning behind his actions. Yet, in the years since he had first come to Shin Makoku, he'd grown more of a spine than he ever though he would have on Earth. A decade ago, he may have had typical boyhood dreams of becoming a professional baseball player, but he knew he was much more likely to end up as a nameless cog in some corporation at best.

Being the monarch of a country on another world was so far away from the way he pictured his life that sometimes he still expected to wake up from the longest dream ever. If it hadn't been for the people who had surrounded him upon his entry to this world, he wouldn't have been able to adjust and deal with the situation. Conrart provided a link to the world he knew and grounded him in world he was still trying to fully understand. Gwendal never stopped reminding him that his actions had the power to change the lives of everyone in Shin Makoku and often the rest of this world. Gunter was always a source of information and one hell of a confidence boost when he needed it. Really, everyone at the castle helped him make the transition and he wanted to do the best for them in return. And even though he didn't want to think about it, he still wasn't sure how to best repay the person who had helped him the most. Wolfram always seemed to know when Yuri needed to be encouraged and when he needed to be told off for doing something stupid. However, Yuri never could figure out what Wolfram needed or even what the blond wanted. Every attempt he'd made so far had backfired and it looked like his most recent attempt was heading down that same path.

Yuri wasn't lying when he told Gunter his reasons for breaking off the engagement; he may have over emphasized the idea of getting a queen but marrying a woman was normal. And above all Yuri wanted to be normal. The Maou knew it wasn't normal for two men to be together, he learned that when he was little. He'd heard the news reports of people being bullied, beaten, and even killed just for loving someone of the same sex. Sure people tried to say that society was becoming more accepting but Yuri's experience didn't reflect that. One of his classmates 'came out' shortly before they entered high school. Some of the girls thought it was cute and fawned over the boy for a while, but the guys weren't so accepting. Yuri had the misfortune of walking in to the locker room while some of the guys were 're-educating' him. The poor kid had the beginnings of a black eye, blood dripping down from a broken nose, and his attackers didn't seem to be slowing down.

The same instinct that had caused Yuri to step in when Murata was being bullied lead to an attempt to stop the beating. He'd ended up with a black eye of his own and the advice to stay away from the 'faggots' unless he was one. As shameful as he knew it to be, Yuri followed that advice in an attempt not to stand out any more than he normally did. Yuri still wasn't sure why he hadn't fought harder to get out of the engagement when it first happened. There was always some convenient excuse to hide behind in the beginning, something keeping him so busy that he couldn't find time to end it. The longer it went on the more comfortable the situation became. Yuri had someone who was fiercely loyal, always available, and able to accept most of his faults. Wolfram never pushed for a wedding, the blond might have made damn sure Yuri didn't cheat but that was all.

Yuri had been honestly surprised when he first heard the whispered conversations that seemed to stop abruptly when his presence became known. He never really understood the appeal of gossip but he knew enough about it to listen when it concerned him. Forewarned is forearmed and all that. The things the castle staff whispered about Wolfram made Yuri see red when he first heard them. He may never have intended to marry the blond but he couldn't abide by the horrible names Wolfram was given. They called him the Maou's whore on good days and speculated on what horrors must lay under his uniform on worse days. Somehow, Yuri managed to keep from unleashing a new kind of justice on those he caught gossiping about his blond friend. However, the whole thing got him thinking. In the end, it seemed that all the rumors stemmed from the length and cool nature of their engagement. Yuri had been pretty sure that he needed to end it to give Wolfram a chance to regain some of the dignity that he'd lost during the engagement. His latest trip to Earth and knowledge that his brother was dating simply spurred him into action.

Given his track record, Yuri should have known that his attempt to make something better for Wolfram would backfire. Now if Gunter's predictions were anywhere near correct the rumors would only get worse. Yuri had hoped that he'd be able to pull off a semi-public ending of the engagement where in he could have demonstrated his immense respect for Wolfram, even if he didn't want to marry him. So naturally he tripped, after all it made sense in his screwy relationship with Wolfram.

So now, all that was left was damage control. Well that and figuring out how to get rid of a glass of glowing green 'juice' before Sangria came back to take his dishes.

-----

Gunter woke slowly, still entangled with his lover. It was a rare, but pleasant, event for them to spend the whole night together. Gunter took in the sight of Gwendal's sleeping form, laughing a bit inside at the worry line permanently etched between the younger Mazoku's eyes. Despite wanting to nuzzle back into the soft pillows, he knew morning was rapidly approaching and they couldn't afford to sleep in.

"Gwen, wake up," Gunter spoke softly into Gwendal's ear. The only response was a half-formed grunt of dissatisfaction from the still sleeping man. "Rise and shine love," again no viable response, "If you don't wake up, I'll be forced to take drastic measures." When Gwendal remained steadfastly asleep, Gunter gave a mental shrug and leaped on top of him.

"OOF! What… huh? Gunter?" Gwendal spluttered, clearly not at his best when first woken.

"And just who else would you expect to find in your bed Lord Voltaire?" Gunter's eyes sparkled with mirth at Gwendal's confusion. Gwendal blinked slowly a few times before processing Gunter's question and answering.

"I could hope that it wouldn't be some overly energetic morning person."

"Always have hope, but it looks like you're stuck with me for the moment." Gunter feigned melancholy at the idea.

"I suppose you'll do," Gwendal spoke as he finally regained the coordination sleep had robbed him of and flipping their positions, pinning the older man to the bed.

"What, here, now?" Gunter joked lustfully as he wiggled under Gwendal's weight.

"Mmm if only we had the time," Gwendal glared at the light just barely seeping in to the room, "We'll have to hurry not to be late to breakfast."

"Ah, always so sensible," Gunter pouted playfully, "A kiss then?"

"How can I resist?" Gwendal leaned down and softly pressed his lips to Gunter's. The older man had no intention of only receiving a chaste kiss and laced his fingers into Gwendal's dark grey hair. A small sound of disapproval came from Gwendal before he assented and turned the kiss to a deeper kind. Their tongues danced languidly, enjoying the intimacy they so rarely indulged in outside of the night's embrace. The kiss ended more quickly than they would have liked, but time waits for no man and they had duties to perform.

"You know… sometimes I really want to slap you." Gwendal spoke as he stared down at his relaxed lover. He was rewarded with the familiar mild disappointment when Gunter tensed up and looked away.

"Gwen… I… you know that's," Gunter stammered vaguely.

"Shh I know. Like you said you have to have hope. Just promise me you'll let me know if you're ever ready." Gwendal watched as Gunter relaxed slightly before nodding slightly in acquiescence. Gwendal slid off the bed and subsequently Gunter and began dressing for the day. Gunter remained in bed a few moments longer, watching as his lover donned his uniform. It was an odd thing to watch, each piece of cloth seemed to create not only a barrier around his skin but his soul as well. Gunter wasn't sure if he was glad that he got to see the unguarded version of Gwendal or sad that the man felt compelled to keep so much of the world at an arm's length. As Gwendal started fastening his jacket together, he glanced over at Gunter still on the bed. One eyebrow lifted in amusement, Gunter flushed lightly at the implication and began getting ready as well. He would have been surprised to find that Gwendal's thoughts mirrored his own from a few moments before. Tucking his hair back into its usual style, Gwendal finished dressing first and made his way to the door. He nodded at Gunter with a small smile before slipping out into the hall. Gunter let out a small sigh, knowing that the short conversation they had his morning would likely be the most social conversation Gwendal would engage in all day. Love and all its trappings aside, Gunter finished readying himself for the day, left a note for the maid that usually cleaned Gwendal's rooms, and headed for the dinning room.

Breakfast was a lively affair as Gunter walked in the room. Yuri was noticeably absent and it seemed everyone was taking this as an opportunity to catch up on gossip. Gwendal sat quietly eating, not participating but being sure to absorb as much of the conversations as he could. Anissina gestured wildly as she explained the mechanics of her newest invention idea to end the stupidity of men to Greta as she pushed the food on her plate about, glancing at the doorway every few seconds to see if either of her fathers had arrived. Yozak and Conrart whispered spoke quietly; exaggerated expressions flew over the orange haired man's face at the conversation. Murata took turns observing everyone and making strange comments to a mildly scowling Gisela. Gunter took a seat and was quickly served.

"You see it will be a behavioral modification device, the subject receives a mild shock whenever they make a decision based either purely of the mind or purely of the heart. Of course there's always the problem of setting the device to read the thought process of the individual, but I'm sure to come up with a solution." As Anissina spoke, Gunter and the other male Mazoku at the table made a mental note to avoid her more than usual.

"Brilliant idea my Lady, but how would a decision based on loyalty or the keeping of a promise register?" The words Murata spoke were accompanied by a sidelong glance at Gisela.

"Ah a good question! Hum well if the subject pledged his loyalty or made the promise under the influence of No-More-Heartless-or-Logic-less-Choices-kun, then it should register as a sound action to act toward the benefit of the pledge or promise. However, if the pledge or promise was made without the device, then any choices made to honor said pledge or promise should register as freely made choices and would be judged as such."

"What if the subject made a particularly strong promise, like say a blood oath, without the device but is then compelled to keep the promise once the device is in use?" Murata watched as Gisela tensed up at his words.

"Well then I suppose the subject best hope that the decisions they make are sound, or endure the consequences as a reminder not to make such a binding oath under the guidance of the mind or heart alone." Puffing up slightly, Anissina smirked with surety that her point had been made. Horror etched it's way across Gwendal and Gunter's faces, Murata was actually encouraging Anissina. However, the only reaction Murata was interested in was Gisela's.

He'd spent the morning trying to see if the healer really did know something about Wolfram's dilemma. She had been cross with Yuri before the engagement had ended, and it was well know that she and Wolfram were longtime friends. She hadn't volunteered any information or insights. However, judging by her reactions to any mention of promises and his own experiences with the blond prince, Wolfram had managed to include Gisela in the people he'd extracted silence promises out of. What worried Murata the most was the healer's nervous reaction to his mentioning of blood oaths, a powerful binding that forced one to adhere to the letter of the oath. If Wolfram had manage to convince her to make such a thing then the likelihood of getting her to let slip what she knew to the others went from slim to none. He hoped that she was smart enough to have some sort of loophole in the oath.

Nonetheless, Murata felt that, once again, he was responsible for trying to do something to make the others aware of the situation without breaking his own promise. The plans he was coming up with weren't the nicest but sometimes being nice just didn't cut it.

Gunter wasn't sure he liked the way Murata was acting towards his daughter. Especially not with the less that pleasant expression that had appeared on the Sage's face. His sweet little daughter, and he dared anyone to claim her as anything else, looked much like she did whenever he caught her sneaking about as a child. He made a mental note to see if he could figure out what she was up to, before she got herself into too much trouble. But first, of course, he had to see to whatever had kept his darling Heika from attending breakfast. The rest of the meal passed without incident and the dinners parted ways to tend to their duties.

Gunter spent the walk to Yuri's study mentally preparing to tone down his flirtations. It was one thing to flirt so openly with a man obviously taken, but now that Heika was no longer engaged people might actually expect him make a move on the young Maou. It was surprising that Little Lord Brat had allowed Gunter's behavior at all, but Gunter knew Wolfram didn't see him as a threat considering his not so secret involvement with the blond's older brother. Gwendal liked to pretend that no one knew they were together, but really, it was the most well known secret in the castle and had kept suitors from approaching either man for years.

The heavy wooden doors that lead to Yuri's office loomed in front of Gunter. He took one last deep breath before shoving the door open wildly.

"HEIKA!" Gunter shouted in his usual fashion as he entered the room. His eyes immediately found Yuri, pouring something in to a potted plant. Gunter ignored both the odd scene and the frightened squeak Yuri let out. "Oh thank heavens!! I was so worried when Heika didn't grant us his presence this morning! Surely the gods are smiling down on us, that you are still well!" One or two papers flew about as Gunter twirled happily about the room. A pair of black eyes watched with shock at the scene. It wasn't until Gunter was picking up the minor mess he'd made that Yuri shook himself out of his surprised state

"Gunter, um yea of course I'm fine… You wouldn't know any reason why I shouldn't be fine, right?" Panic set in for the Maou, imagining all sorts of horrible plots that might be afoot.

"Well no Heika, none that I am aware of. I shall advise the guard to be on high alert if you are worried for your safety?"

"No, no that won't be needed. I guess I'm just a little nervous how everyone is going to react to the whole… thing yesterday." A nervous laugh worked its way from Yuri's lips as he scratched the side of his head absently.

"Ah yes that, Heika if you have time there are a few things I feel it is necessary for you to know."

"I," Yuri gulped noticeably, "Sure, if you think it's important, I've got the time." He hoped desperately that Gunter wasn't planning on telling him that something bad had happened.

"I'm sure Heika is aware of the nature of rumors, how quickly they spread, and just how far from the truth they tend to be," Yuri nodded at his words. "Well your humble servant has chanced upon a new rumor that is both horrific and untrue," a bead of sweat slid down Yuri's brow but Gunter continued anyway. "They are saying that… that Heika made an attempt on Lord Bielefeld's life as a means of breaking your engagement." Yuri was momentarily struck dumb at the emotions Gunter's words evoked. On one hand he was relived that Wolfram wasn't taking the brunt of the rumor mill yet and on the other hand he couldn't believe that his people would consider him capable of such a thing.  
"Wh… WHAT!? How could anybody think I'd want Wolfram dead?! Fiancé or not he's still my best friend! Ah man this is just getting worse and worse. What do I do to get people to stop saying something so stupid?"

"Heika… unfortunately there is very little too be done to stop such gossip, unless you are willing to arrest everyone heard speaking about it."

"Eh no. Argh, sometimes I miss Earth, if this happened to a leader there he'd just call a press conference and sort the whole thing out." Yuri sighed petulantly before slumping into his chair.

"Oh dear, I wasn't aware your home world employed such torture methods, and to do it amongst a group of people." Shocked horror etched its way across Gunter's face at the images Yuri's words had conjured.

"… What? Torture? I don't think we're having the same conversation. What do you think I was talking about?" A less than subtle throbbing started behind the young Maou's eyes.

"Pressing, Heika, is a torture method in which one has heavy stones placed on his or her chest to restrict breathing; it can even result in death." It was Yuri's turn to look horrified at Gunter's words.

"That is so not what I was talking about. The press on Earth is a group of people basically dedicated to finding the truth and sharing it with others. So, a press conference is when someone invites the press to hear their version of the truth."

"Heika's home world certainly has many wonderful traditions." Gunter's eyes began to glaze over as he contemplated the idea of a press conference.

"Uh, I wouldn't really call it a tradition." Mild fear rose up in Yuri; Gunter was known to hug the Maou when that look entered his eyes. In fact, the advisers arms were already widening to fling around Yuri when a thought crossed his mind and stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Oh Heika as always you are a veritable genius. I'll start preparations immediately!" With those words, Gunter spun on his heel and raced out of the room. Yuri was left staring at the still ajar door with an utterly confused look on his face. Whatever Gunter had decided to do wasn't likely to bode well for Yuri. It took a few minutes for Yuri to come to his senses and go close the door. As the door thudded firmly against the door jam, Yuri turned his mind to what he needed to do. Murata had given him a plan but Yuri still needed to enact it. He'd been wimpy enough during the whole situation. Yuri would tell Wolfram about the exploration Murata wanted to engage in, if the Maou didn't have the courage to do that himself then he might as well tattoo wimp on his forehead.

-----

AN: Worse chapter ever, two rewrites and I still hate it but I didn't want to make anybody wait any longer. Blegh XP Chapters are gonna be slow coming till after May, why oh why did I think making 4 costumes was a good idea ;_;


	16. Chapter 16

Rated M for foul language, alcohol usage, dark themes, and homosexual sex. If you are not mature enough to deal with these please turn back now.

Chapter 16

If asked what he thought about his newest "assignment", Yozak would have to say it was almost amusing as it was annoying. Conrart had, none to subtly, hinted that someone should keep an eye on Heika, and the ever prepared spy readily took up the task. So far he'd watched Yuri pout in his study, mope through the gardens, sulk in Greta's room, and he was currently brooding in the library. Yozak was beginning to wonder just who dumped whom. It really was pathetic watching the monarch of the most powerful nation on the planet acting like a kicked puppy all because he couldn't find the man he'd broken up with the day before. It hadn't taken long for the spy to realize that Yuri's odd wandering was an attempt to locate Wolfram, without really trying to find him.

If he was the betting sort, Yozak would have put money on Yuri wanting to try some half assed attempt at apologizing to the blond. Of course betting wasn't his thing, he much preferred stacking the odds. Who would have thought Gunter would have taken his little rumor so seriously. It was just a bit of speculation from the maid who'd been left with the task of cleaning Wolfram's study, an unlikely bit of gossip to ever leave the castle grounds. Yozak couldn't help but grin wickedly as Yuri left the library in a huff, sometimes it was good being a spy. And sometimes being a well trained spy was the only thing that stopped him from screaming like a girl at the feeling of a hand on his shoulder; this was one of those times.

"I thought you were a spy not a stalker." Wolfram muttered softly before stepping away from Yozak. He found a measure of entertainment in startling the usually aware man.

"Well ya know, the two are a lot alike, and how do you know I haven't taken an interest in literature?" Yozak knew he'd been caught, but there was no fun in simply giving up.

"… You do realize what types of books are kept in this area right?"

"Um… Yea." Yozak was sure that no matter what part of the library he was in, the books couldn't hold any information as embarrassing or horrifying as the expression on Wolfram's face alluded to; or at least not embarrassing or horrifying to a man of his varied talents and interests.

"Really," Wolfram causally reached over to grab one of the near by books, "I'm surprised Mother's personal collection would hold any interest for you. I mean really it surprised me the first time I stumbled upon it myself." He thumbed thought the book without looking at the pages.

"Well they say you can't judge a book by its cover." Admittedly, Yozak was becoming a bit interested at what could surprise the bratty prince in Celi's books, maybe some sort of perverse sexual manuals? Instead of responding immediately, Wolfram arched one eyebrow and continued to turn the pages. The moment stretched on longer than was comfortable and Yozak was just about to make up some excuse to leave when Wolfram spoke.

"It's easy to forget that Mother is anything other than a flighty noble woman looking for love," Wolfram glanced down at the book and shuddered noticeably, "She's a capable fighter, a decent strategist, and when the mood strikes a talented artist. Some of these books are filled with fighting techniques and dissections of battles."

"Well see that's a book topic I can get behind." Yozak quickly stated, hoping that Wolfram would let it be at that.

"Of course," Wolfram continued on as if Yozak hadn't spoke, "The great majority of them are her personal sketch books." Once more Wolfram's eyes drifted to a page of the book and nearly caused Yozak to flee at the look of unholy mirth that filled those pretty green eyes, "I know she gets most of her inspiration from her imagination, but I have to wonder are you really that flexible?" Wolfram turned the book so that the page he'd been looking at was on display for Yozak to take in.

Color drained from the spy's face at he stared at the disturbingly realistic drawing. Perverse sexual manual indeed. Celi had drawn him bend in half under the weight of a lover, shockingly hairless legs locked around the man's shoulders. The position was difficult, but he'd managed it before and it wasn't anything all that shocking by it's self. The true horror came from the partner Celi had chosen for Yozak. Really, Yozak wondered why Celi would draw her own brother in such a way; he'd never get rid of the image of Stoffel buried inside of him with that look of strain on his face. Wolfram smirked at the look on Yozak's face and closed the book. He pressed it into Yozak's numb hands and turned to leave.

"Everyone's fair game for her, feel free to look through them. …She loves it when you tell her what you think about them." With that parting shot over his shoulder, Wolfram strolled out of the library. Yozak was left alternating staring at the book in his hands and the library doors. Two thoughts warred in his mind: what all was in these books and how irritated would Conrart be when he found out Yozak lost track of the Maou.

-----

Truthfully, Wolfram had been shocked to find anyone skulking about in one of his best hiding places, let alone Yozak using it to watch Yuri. More shocking was the fact that Yuri seemed to be following him. The double black had even interrupted his visit with Greta; luckily the princess was more than happy to distract Yuri so that Wolfram could slip out unnoticed. It was ludicrous, Wolfram couldn't figure out why Yuri would be following him. Yet even as the blond found a moment of peace in the library, Yuri came creeping into the vast room looking about anxiously. He'd managed to get out of the Maou's line of sight, but hadn't made it to any of the best hiding spots in the area. It galled Wolfram to admit he hadn't heard or seen Yozak enter the library, but he took solace in teasing the spy once he'd found him. Celi's collection was hardly a secret, but almost no one wanted to talk about it. Telling someone about those books was tantamount to shooting one's self in the foot. Sure, there were some disturbingly interesting images of others in them, but there were likely some horrifically embarrassing pictures of one's self in there as well. And Celi, had a near psychic knowledge of when any book or page of a book went missing. It didn't surprise Wolfram that Yozak hadn't known what lay in that part of the library; the spy wasn't a fan of sitting still and reading when he could be out and active. It felt good to let his mildly sadistic side out when talking to Yozak, usually the man gave as good as he got. Wolfram had spent years trying to balance his normal personality with his need to act properly for a royal companion. Now the only people that his behavior would reflect on didn't really care if he acted properly, and didn't death make everyone hate to remember the bad things?

In whatever time he had left, Wolfram resolved to act how he wanted to and ignore those whom didn't like it. New resolution aside, now that he had left the library he wasn't sure what to do with himself. If Yuri was somehow following him, he couldn't very well let himself get caught by the Maou, some part of his mind still desperate to survive would want to tell Yuri everything if given the chance. Wolfram couldn't give himself that chance. However, that meant he couldn't adhere to his usual schedule, not that anyone would expect him to after such a break up. His men could handle their own training and he'd already visited Greta. Perhaps he could gain a bit of sympathy out of the kitchen staff, and by sympathy he meant sweets. That thought in mind turned towards the kitchen at a brisk pace. As he turned a corner sharply, he nearly tripped over his own feet whilst stopping to avoid the person who appeared in his way. It was stupidly ironic that the one person the entire castle he didn't want to see would be the one standing aimlessly in the hall.

Yuri heard a noise behind him and turned to figure out what it was and promptly fell on his ass at the sight of Wolfram standing awfully close to him. An unmanly squeak worked its way out of the Maou's mouth at he stared up at the blond prince. The corner of Wolfram's mouth turned downward in an annoyed scowl. When it became clear that Yuri had no intention of speaking or otherwise breaking up the impromptu staring contest, Wolfram addressed his king.

"Are you in need of assistance Heika?" If the coldness of words could form ice, Yuri would fear frostbite from that simple sentence.

"Ah…haha, um… no?"

"Very well, I'll take my leave then." Again Wolfram's tone was painfully formal as he moved to walk around Yuri.

"Wait! Wolf." Yuri stared down at the hand grabbing a handful of Wolfram's blue uniform, scarcely able to believe that it was his own. The glare the blond aimed at said hand nearly made Yuri let go but he summoned his courage and held on. "Wolf, I know I don't have any right to ask anything of you after… yesterday. But I… we need to talk."

"Of course Heika, what ever you wish." The words were polite, respectful even, but Yuri had no illusions that Wolfram actually wanted anything to do with him.

"Um… let's go to my office. I… well I don't want any eavesdroppers."

"As you command, Heika." The mood of the walk to Yuri's office would have been more suited to a funeral procession or war march. Once the two were secluded away from the nosey inhabitants of the castle Yuri turned to face his former fiancé. Wolfram stood ram-rod straight, somehow not even so much as a hair lay out of place. Yet to anyone who knew the blond, Wolfram looked like shit. Normally perfectly pale skin bore faint shadows under his eyes and no energy emanated from his every movement as usual. Wisely, Yuri kept such thoughts to himself.

"Wolfram I…," Yuri noticed a grimace pass over Wolfram's face and could practically hear the blond calling him a wimp, so he set his shoulders and decided to face this like a man. "I don't regret breaking our engagement," Yuri swallowed the guilt he felt at the flash of pain in Wolfram's eyes, "but I will always regret that I did it in such a cruel manner. Whether you believe me or not, I do consider you one of the most important people in my life. I'm sorry that I couldn't b…be with you like you wanted me to. But this is a chance for you to find happiness," the cold fury leaking out of Wolfram's eyes caused Yuri to pause before continuing, "I know the castle won't be the most pleasant place for you to be till things settle down a bit and you've been personally requested for an exploratory mission. So if you're ok with it I thought you might like to go on it?"

"Of course Heika, how kind of you. Are the mission details ready to go?" Yuri began to wonder if this arctic creature speaking to him really was Wolfram.

"Ah… no they aren't, um finalized yet. I didn't want to consider it too much until I knew if you'd even want to get away for awhile. I'll get them to you as soon as they're ready."

"Very well Heika. If that's all?" Yuri nodded bemusedly, "Then I'll be on my way." Yuri watched as Wolfram opened the door and couldn't stop himself from calling out again.

"Wolfram?" Wolfram paused without looking back.

"Yes Heika?"

"I'm sorry Wolf."

"… Good day Heika," with those words Wolfram slipped out of the room, closing the door behind him.

-----

Paper rustled ominously in a poorly lit corner of the library. Before that day, Yozak hadn't been aware that paper could sound so evil when you moved it. However, with every page he turned the damned pages managed to extrude an aura of pure malevolence unlike any he had known. Sure a lot of the images weren't horrifying, some were even cute but every time he was sure he'd seen the worst Celi could come up with a new even more sickening image would appear. Unable to look away, Yozak continued to flip through Celi's books.

"Ah I see you finally found Mother's books." The words rang out in the library, startling Yozak into shoving the book in his hands behind his back. He hadn't heard anyone enter the library, so engrossed was he in the book's pages.

"Captain!" Yozak knew his face was lightly flushed, both from being caught and the after effects of the erotic art. Conrart on the other hand looked as calm and peaceful as usual. "Um it's not what it looks like?"

"Don't worry Yozak, I haven't met anyone yet who's been able to turn away from them upon first finding them." A hint of a smirk passed across Conrart's face, "Just a word of caution, don't take any book or part of a book out of the library. The results are less than pleasant."

"Wait wait wait… You knew about these and never told me? Why?" Yozak stared at his captain and long time friend and found it hard to believe that the books had just slipped his mind.

"Same reason no one else talks about them." Conrart shot Yozak a pointed but amused look as the spy digested that thought. Images from the book he'd been flipping though flashed in Yozak's head, including the disturbing ways Celi had depicted her own sons, and he knew why Conrart never mentioned the books. Once Conrart was sure the spy knew his reasoning he continued, "I'm just surprised you found them today, it's not like you to just start reading a book while you're supposed to be following someone."

"Well it wasn't really my idea. Little Lord Br… I mean Lord Bielefeld decided I needed to know what was in the books I was hiding next to."

"Hah, that sounds like him. It's good to know he is feeling well enough to torment others. Of course usually he only does that to people he likes. Perhaps he was feeling magnanimous."

"Hey! I'm perfectly likeable!" Yozak refused to blush at the look Conrart gave him at his outburst, "Well I guess he might not like me very much, but still."

"Yes Yozak, you are absolutely likeable," Conrart intentionally made his voice as bland as possible, "Now what did you observe before Wolfram… distracted you?" Yozak looked down, not surprised that his captain chose a subtle type of admonishment.

"Ah, Heika has been wandering around, presumably looking for Lord Bielefeld. He seems to be unexpectedly distraught; my guess is that he wishes to apologize to his former fiancé." A dark look flashed over Conrart's face as Yozak spoke, it was clear to the spy that his captain was less than happy with the young Maou.

"I see. Find him and reestablish surveillance, report to me once Heika retires for the day. If you feel it necessary, run interference in the event he finds Lord Bielefeld. Dismissed."

"Yes sir." Yozak started hurriedly towards the door, glad to escape the emergence of his captain's darker side.

"Yozak." Conrart's voice stopped Yozak in his tracks and the spy slowly turned to face his captain. Conrart had one hand extended expectantly towards Yozak. It took a moment for the spy to comprehend what the other man wanted, but eventually he realized he was still holding the stupid book. He turned it over without further ado and quickly left the library. Conrart shook his head at Yozak's antics before carefully replacing the book in its rightful place.

Noon hadn't yet even come to pass but the day already seemed long and never ending to Conrart. He had sent several of his best information gathers out in the castle town to get a feel for how the general public was taking the news of the Maou's new single status. The information he was getting back wasn't encouraging. Already several of the women who had become infatuated with socially approachable Maou were discussing writing letters to attract Yuri's attention. Some of them might truly want Yuri for Yuri, but Conrart knew at least three of those women had eyes on the prestige and power that being Yuri's wife would mean. Wolfram's social enemies were using it as a means of discrediting both the blond and the House of Bielefeld. One enterprising man was readying a petition to have Wolfram removed from his military position. As the petition would have to go through the Maou's office there was no chance it would pass but still it would put ideas in the heads of those who heard about it.

The whole thing was a political nightmare, not to mention the damage Wolfram's reputation was taking. His little brother was being called everything from an adulterous slut to a useless eunuch. There were a few who were defending the blond's honor, but most were content to see him as the villain in the situation. Conrart could only hope that the commotion died down quickly, and that Yuri wouldn't be conned into marriage by the first pretty woman to flirt with him.

Conrart stared at the row of books in front of him till his eyes lit upon a tome that was significantly duster than the rest. He recognized the book immediately and pulled it off the shelf reverently. Not all of Celi's art was blatantly erotic, and this book held the largest collection of clean work. Conrart flipped through the pages of innocent drawings till he came to a page that tugged at his heart. On the page Celi had captured images of her sons in their happiest states. Gwendal lay relaxed on his bed, hands caught mid knitting, calico kitten curled up on his lap, and an unfinished long haired figure at his side. Conrart sat with his back resting on a tree in one of the boarder cities, half a dozen laughing vague individuals gathered around him, while Yozak stood beside him hands rose animatedly in the midst of some story. Wolfram stood smiling brightly, nothing around him to indicate what made him so happy, it seemed not even Celi could figure out what would make her youngest son so joyous. His fingers trailed lightly over Wolfram's likeness as Conrart tried to remember the last time he'd seen Wolfram crack more than a sardonic grin let alone a real smile. Silently Conrart vowed that he'd see Wolfram smile again, no matter what it took.

*****

AN: Momentarily digs free of mounds of fabric. Phew. And now a bad joke, Conrart style. "Do you know the name of Celi's yacht?" "Why yes it's the SS Crackship" Groan, yeah that wouldn't leave my head so now you all get to experience it.


	17. Chapter 17

Rated M for foul language, alcohol usage, dark themes, and homosexual sex. If you are not mature enough to deal with these please turn back now.

Chapter 17

Really, Murata almost pitied Yuri's situation, almost. The two had been discussing the up coming journy and had just decided when the best time for Murata and Wolfram to leave the castle was, Yuri was hesitant to let Wolfram out of his sight too quickly. However, Murata pushed for a quick departure, stating that it was 'like a bandaid' the faster the removal the quicker the pain went away. They had finally decided that they would set out in two days time, much to Yuri's distress.

The Maou paced a tight line between the window and desk of his office. One of his hands stayed at his mouth as he worried a nail between his teeth. Sometime during Yuri's quest to find Wolfram, Gwendal had seen fit to reload the Maou's desk with a new mountain of paperwork and the stack swayed ominously.

"Murata are you sure this is the best thing to do?" Yuri didn't break from his pacing as he spoke.

"Of course not," the sight of Yuri nearly tripping at Murata's words amused the sage, "Shibuya, there's no way to know if you're making the right decision. That's part of life."

"But… but you're the Great Sage, shouldn't you know?" Yuri looked desperately at Murata, to which Murata could only roll his eyes.

"You know I'm getting pretty sick of people making that assumption. I've lived a lot of lives and was well informed of Shinou's plans. I'm not psychic. You're just gonna have to deal with the choices you made." Yuri hung his head and gave up on his pacing.

"I know, I know, doesn't mean I have to like it… Where will you go?"

"Well I thought we might follow the Double Black Trail." Murata could see the confusion on Yuri's face even before the Maou voiced a question.

"The what?" Yuri may not have been much of a scholar, but he was pretty sure he would remember if Gunter had mentioned something with such an odd sounding name.

"The Double Black Trail, it doesn't surprise me that you haven't heard about it, few have these days," seeing the look of interest on Yuri's face Murata decided to explain a bit further, "Double blacks weren't always as rare in Shin Makoku as they are now. They've never been the majority but they were around. A few decades before the whole Soushu debacle most of the double blacks began leaving populated areas. They all seemed to follow the same path, as if guided by some instinct. A few remained behind, usually the elderly or those with strong family ties to non-double blacks. Those who left never returned. I thought it would be interesting to see if could figure out what became of them." Murata only gave Yuri the bare minimum of details concerning the events of so long ago, conveniently leaving out the reasons behind the double black exodus and the fates of the unfortunate ones who stayed behind.

"Well I guess that could be ok, but don't do anything dangerous."

"Of course not, Shibuya. I'll leave the dangerous stuff up to you."

"Thanks… Hey wait!" Yuri glared impotently at the Sage.

"Sharp as always Shibuya," Murata paused briefly for dramatic effect and to enjoy the affronted look Yuri was sporting, "You going to tell him about my exciting plans of adventure?" Yuri's face crumpled.

"I guess I should be the one telling him," Yuri trailed off.

"But?" It didn't take a genius to see that Yuri felt uncomfortable with the current subject matter, luckily for Murata he had no qualms about prodding at the awkward subject.

"You didn't see him earlier Murata. It was like he was a whole different person. No accusations of being a wimp, even when I deserved it. He even called me 'Heika'. I don't think he's ever done that before."

"I would imagine he hasn't. You proposed to him, what, less than a day after you got here? Well before your coronation, either way. So really he's never had to address you like that."

"Yeah, yeah but I can't imagine a little thing like tradition stopping Wolfram from calling me anything other than what he wants to."

"He's more traditional than you think. King and country before anything else, heck he's kept you out of more social messes than I really care to think about. Bet he'd take a bullet for you… if Shin Makoku had guns that is."

"Don't say stuff like that, I don't want anybody taking a bullet for me. Especially not Wolfram. Right now all I want him to do if have some fun and take a rest from having to watch over me." Yuri looked incredibly pathetic standing there, it almost made Murata feel bad for what he was about to do.

"So I sweep the pretty boy off into the sunset for a little fun?"

"ACK! Don't say it like that!"

"Right, right Shibuya. Well then I'll just leave you to figure out how you're going to tell the sexually frustrated pretty prince that he's going off with a dark haired man for a nice long, hard ride," the unnaturally red color of Yuri's face only spurred Murata on, "Oh and don't tell him I'm the dark haired man, it'll be a nice little surprise." Murata quickly exited the room before Yuri could gather himself enough to start berating the Sage. None the less, half the castle heard the annoyed squawking sound Yuri made once he could speak again.

For a few moments, Murata allowed morose thoughts to pass through his head as he walked away from Yuri's office. Death was something he had a unique relationship with, having more memories of the experience than was anywhere near normal. It was always something to be avoided, but hardly the worst that could happen to a person. He knew, first hand, what its like to be tortured to the point of begging for death. In dying there is a sort of freedom, a release that can't be understood by those who haven't experienced it. Death is worse for those still alive, unable to let go of those already gone.

It saddened Murata to think of Wolfram cold and still, but he could understand the blond's readiness to die. The former prince had accepted his imminent death years ago, and could no longer see any other truly plausible resolution to his situation. Despite the fact that it might cause the blond to hate him, Murata was determined to do what ever he could to keep Wolfram alive. Not for Wolfram's sake, but for his family's, his friends', and Shinou help him for Yuri's sake as well. Yet should he fail, he'd make sure Wolfram didn't die alone. It was the least he could do for one of Shinou's greatest pawns.

With a shake of his head Murata forced the less than pleasant thoughts away; he had a mission to accomplish if he wanted everything to go as planned. Happily, he met no one in the halls as he made his way to the aviary. The room stunk despite the evidence of at least one person's attempts to clean the place regularly. He looked about the cages till he found the birds that were able to locate the person he needed to correspond with.

Truly Shin Makoku's homing pigeon system was amazing compared to the one that was used on Earth so many years ago. But sometimes, Murata really longed for a good old fashion cell phone. A thin strip of paper with neat handwriting on both sides was pulled from his pocket and placed the tube resting on one of the birds' legs. He carried the cooing bird to one of the many windows and released it into the wind. Likely the bird wouldn't reach it's destination till after Murata departed from the castle along with the dying prince. Of course the best fireworks are observed from afar and Murata did not envy those who would be in this particular firecracker's way once the explosions started.

*****

Doria fluttered about nervously. Some time ago Wolfram had wandered into the kitchen, plopped down at a work table, and hadn't moved since. The rest of the kitchen staff quickly found other places to be, but she couldn't resist the opportunity for some information gathering. The pretty maid wanted to ask him if he needed anything, but was unwilling to risk having the glare the wall was currently receiving turned on her. Thoughts as to why the former prince would hole up in the kitchen frolicked through Doria's mind. Perhaps he was hungry, but wait one of his men had come to fetch breakfast for him and it wasn't quite lunch time yet. Maybe the thought of facing his family after the shameful ending of his engagement was too much so he took refuge in the one place they wouldn't look for him? No, Lasagna had seen him talking with Greta in her room this morning. Perchance he was merely waiting for her to leave so that he could get into the supply of poison kept in the kitchen, to deal with pests, so that he could end his own life now that he couldn't have Yuri?! Doria almost laughed at that idea, there was no way the ever proud prince would throw away his own live over a little rejection.

It was understandable that in her distraction, Doria didn't notice someone enter the kitchen until he was right behind her. Conrart's came to rest hand lightly on her shoulder, already full of adrenaline from her discomforting thoughts; she reacted quickly to the unexpected touch. Had Conrart been anything less that a highly trained soldier, he might have wound up with the maid's chopping knife lodged in his throat. As things were, he caught Doria's wrist before she could complete the swing. Seeing her intent to begin apologizing, Conrart placed one finger over his lips, indicating that he wanted her to stay silent. They both glanced toward Wolfram to see if he had noticed their interaction; either the blond was oblivious to the occurrence or had deemed it below his notice.

With a small wave, Conrart dismissed Doria from the kitchen. Silence reigned in the room for a few moments. Knowing that his brother wouldn't start talking to him outright, Conrart began gathering some things from around the kitchen. Shortly, Conrart placed the results of his search on the table in front of Wolfram, a plate with a small bowl of honey and some in season fruits. When he was younger it was well known that Wolfram was a lover of sweets. As he grew older he stopped indulging in his sweet tooth and most of those who bothered knowing such things assumed that he out grew the habit. Conrart held no such illusions and was fairly sure that something sweet was the key to getting Wolfram to notice someone. It took a second, but before too long Wolfram began dipping the fruit in honey and munching on them angrily.

"Did you need something Lord Wel…" Wolfram took a deep breath before continuing, "Conrart?" Alarm bells started sounding in Conrart's head but he kept the neutral look on his face.

"Yes I'm afraid there's been a report of a fearsome beast scaring away all of the kitchen staff. Perhaps you've seen this beast?" Wolfram responded with an irked snort, really Conrart's jokes could be so bad they stopped being jokes at all. "Perhaps this beast is looking for some sort of assistance?"

"Always looking for a chance to be a valiant knight?" Wolfram didn't look at his brother as he spoke, but the words themselves were a good sign.

"I fear it is some sort of terrible compulsion," Conrart took a moment to simply look at his brother, "So is there anything this knight can do to aid the kitchen dwelling beast?"

"Mmm, doubtfully. Knights are well known for their loyalty to the crown, not to foolish beasts." It hurt Conrart to hear the defeated tone in his younger brother's voice, and it hurt worse to know that in most situations the statement was highly true. He had made an oath to protect the Maou and, family or not, it would be a great dishonor to put anyone before the Maou.

"But every now and then those who bear the crown do very thoughtless things, and certain knights find themselves more inclined to side with the beasts." Conrart barely keep a fond grin off his face at Wolfram's response. The blond turned his head to stare blatantly at his brother, mouth slightly open as if readying a retort that just wouldn't come. In a round about way Conrart had stated his willingness to choose Wolfram over Yuri. The insinuation set a feeling of warmth through Wolfram, followed but a rush of crushing pain. It was wonderful for him to know that Conrart didn't hold his past behavior against him, but hearing it with the shadow of his death hanging over his head took all the joy away from it.

"I," Wolfram managed to speak past his emotions, "think that the beast would appreciate the knight's sentiment, even if he'd never say so," a small smile quirked at Wolfram's lips at the look of happiness on his brother's face as he spoke. The brother's relationship had gotten better in the years since Yuri's arrival, but it wouldn't get the chance to heal completely. Conrart only smiled at his brother and watched him finish the light snack. All too soon the kitchen staff began poking their heads in, ready to reclaim their territory. Wolfram and Conrart left and warmly parted ways.

The first wave of weakness hit Wolfram shortly after departing from the kitchen. The wall seemed to rush at him as he stumbled feebly to the side. He tried to brace a hand on the wall to keep his balance, but his arm refused to straighten and he found himself sliding down the wall pathetically. Shaking helplessly, a cold sweat broke out on his forehead and he struggled to breathe properly. With as little warning as it started the sickness faded, leaving Wolfram to pick himself up off the floor. The bout lasted less than a minute but the ramifications would haunt the blond for the rest of the day. Already his body was weakening without Yuri's Maryoku to constantly heal him; he needed to leave before he got too weak to convince his family that he was able to travel. In his rush to leave the site of his attack, he never noticed the figure that had witnessed the episode.

****

AN: Short chapter, I know but hey at least I got one out? Un-betaed to get it to you faster.


	18. Chapter 18

Rated M for foul language, alcohol usage, dark themes, and homosexual sex. If you are not mature enough to deal with these please turn back now.

Chapter 18

Gunter watched Wolfram stumble in the hall with a sense of unease. It wasn't like the blond to allow such a display of weakness in a public place, but then again the loss of his fiancé could be putting him out of sorts. Perhaps the Maryoku passing between the boys was more prominent than Gunter had suspected. He was sure he'd read an account of a Mazoku woman having fainting spells for years after her husband died due to the missing supplement of energy.

If Wolfram was having this kind of reaction both he and the Maou would have to be monitored for their own good. Either way, Gunter resolved to have Gisela examine Wolfram to see if the side effects of the loss of connection could be alleviated. He'd never been particularly fond of the boy but he knew Wolfram's pain would upset Gwendal, and an upset Gwendal was not one he cared to deal with if he could avoid it.

Setting aside such thoughts, Gunter hurried towards the Maou's office. He'd just gotten word that Yuri had returned to his office and the lavender haired man wanted to see if the double black was available for a lesson. Now that the Maou was single there were a host of topics that needed to be addressed. It hadn't been essential to inform Yuri about all the subtleties of courting while he was already involved in what was considered a serious relationship. Especially since Wolfram had been so diligent in keeping Yuri from unintentionally flirting with others. Of course, Gunter thought, it would have been better if Wolfram had actually explained why he was accusing Yuri of cheating. The adviser wasn't looking forward to explaining that many of the friendly young man's natural behaviors could be considered flirting and out right propositions. After all he enjoyed flirting with the young ruler himself.

It didn't take long for Gunter to reach Yuri's office and fling open the doors with his usual flair. However, the wail of Heika was cut off abruptly as he took in his beloved Maou's countenance. Yuri's profile was visible as the young Maou stared out from the window. Normally wide eyes were narrowed and a dour scowl graced his lips. It took a moment for Gunter to collect himself enough to speak.

"Heika?" the word was whispered without any of the usual intensity accompanying it. Gunter nearly cringed when those narrowed eyes turned gradually towards him. Yuri didn't seem to actually be looking at Gunter, but rather through him. The only word Gunter could come up with to describe the look on Yuri's face was malevolent. Instincts honed from battle were telling the older man to retreat until the threat passed, but Gunter's duty required him to stay and assist the Maou in anyway necessary. He was working up the gumption to call out again when Yuri shook his head sharply. When the Maou's gaze returned to Gunter, his eyes were once again wide and his mouth made a perfect O of surprise.

"Oh! Gunter sorry I was kind of out of it. Did you need something?" Yuri couldn't help but blink innocently at Gunter's wary looks. The adviser remained silent, still a bit shocked at the sudden mood swing. "Ah hello, Shin Makoku to Gunter. Gunter can you hear me?" Yuri barely resisted the urge to wave a hand in front of Gunter's face to garner a reaction.

"Ah," Gunter collected himself as he began, "I was simply coming to see if Heika had time for a bit of a lesson." It didn't take long for Gunter to recover, especially with Yuri's familiar groan of annoyance ringing in his ears.

"Gunter is this really necessary? I've got a lot on my mind right now."

"Of course Heika, but there are a few lessons that had been put off as they weren't pertinent to your situation that may now be more needed than ever."

"Eh, what?" Yuri's eyes blinked innocently once again and Gunter had to refrain from gathering the Maou up in his arms and committing wicked acts on his unstained body.

"Ahem," Gunter cleared his throat and the dirty thoughts from his mind, "Courting traditions Heika."

"Oh. OH! Wait Gunter, I don't… I'm not going to… I'm not ready… GUNTER I have no intention of courting anybody!!" Red flushed up Yuri's face instantly as his arms flailed about.

"As… relieving as that is," Gunter restrained a laugh, "Others will have quite the intention of courting you Heika. And it's best you know what to look for so you can discourage or… encourage possible suitors." Thoughts of the men and women who would be vying for his beloved Maou's heart nearly sent Gunter into a faint.

"Oh… cause I'm the Maou right, they won't care that I'm Yuri too?" Yuri seemed to deflate from his previously flustered state.

"Nonsense Heika, I'm sure a great many people would love to be your partner, Maou or not." Gunter was quick to reassure Yuri, even though he knew the Maou's assumption wasn't all that far from the truth.

"Yeah who can resist a double black?" The melancholy nature of Yuri's words worried Gunter. It was uncommon for the young man to express anything other than grating optimism.

"Heika, looks and title aside, it is your pure and loving heart that will draw your true love to you." Gunter was rewarded with a small grin from Yuri.

"Thanks Gunter," Yuri sighed lightly, "I guess I have time for a lesson before I start my paperwork."

"Oh you won't regret this!!" Despite Gunter's words Yuri was pretty sure he would regret it, especially given the near psychotic look in his advisor's eyes.

Nearly an hour later Yuri sat at his desk, staring blankly at Gunter as the man continued to rant about the varied and down right weird courting customs of Shin Makoku. He wasn't sure if he was more disturbed that the people of his nation considered such bizarre things romantic or that Wolfram hadn't been completely imagining things when he accused him of cheating. Not all of the times Wolfram yelled at him were necessary, but Yuri could recall a disquieting number of incidents where in his naturally friendly actions could have been interpreted as flirting or worse.

"And of course presenting ones beloved with a fresh fish anointed in syrup communicates the desire to include a temporary partner in marital relations. But I'm sure Heika will never have a need to use such a scandalous tradition. Oh dear, listen to me prattle on. If there is anything that you have questions on please feel free to ask me about it," Yuri shook his head in response and Gunter continued, "Well I'll take my leave then Heika, but if you have any questions later I'm always available." With those parting words, Gunter slipped out the door. As he left the Maou to go about his daily duties, he was sure that there was something that he was forgetting. He dismissed the feeling lightly, sure that he would remember it if it were important.

Once again alone, Yuri let his thoughts stray back to Wolfram. He'd told the blond that he would inform him once the details were settled for the so called exploration mission. Very little of the planning was done by Yuri and the Maou only realized afterwards that the Sage had railroaded him into doing whatever he wanted. Murata had even asked that Wolfram be allowed to pick a few soldiers to accompany them as an added measure of security. The thought that there might be a need for such precautions was troubling for the young king. Still, Yuri thought, Wolfram should be able to take care of himself.

Either way he still needed to figure out how he was going to pass the information on to Wolfram. It was clear the blond wasn't thrilled with Yuri's presence, so he disregarded the idea of telling him in person. After a bit more thought, he gave up on any hope of looking like anything other than a coward and started penning a note to send to Wolfram. It contained a brief description of the trip and other details Murata had decided earlier. Once he finished, Yuri summoned a servant to carry the note to Wolfram. Of course, Yuri being Yuri, he never noticed the fanatical way the young servant stared at the note once he was informed of the recipient. So it was with complete disregard to his less than astute role in the rumor mill that Yuri returned to the pile of paperwork Gunter had distracted him from.

*****

Hours later Yozak watched Yuri drag himself along toward the Royal Chambers. The kiddo had been acting very strangely. He'd taken all his meals in his office, and those who delivered the food to him said Yuri had seemed highly nervous upon first seeing them. It was almost as though he was avoiding someone. Yozak contained a snort as he pondered who Yuri wouldn't want to avoid right now. The Maou might not always know why someone was mad at him but he could sure as heck tell that they were mad at him. The trip to Yuri's rooms seemed to take an abnormally long time, the double black moved as thought someone had tied boulders to his legs. Finally, he disappeared behind the grand doors. Yozak waited a few more minutes, to be sure that the Maou wasn't coming back out, before heading off to report to his captain.

It wasn't hard to find Conrart, or at least it wasn't hard for Yozak to find him. Celi's second son was out on the training ground, running though sword drills, despite the late hour. Yozak couldn't help but admire the way Conrart handled his weapon. Each move was carefully controlled, yet somehow natural at the same time. It was no wonder Conrart was often referred to as Shin Makoku's best swordsman. Technically, Gunter's form outclassed Conrart's. However, were as Gunter danced fluidly with a blade in his hand, Conrart came off as a man set to kill anything that crossed him when his hand wrapped around the hilt of a sword. Even bravest man would think twice about locking blades with him in a fair fight.

Conrart sheathed his sword and turned to face Yozak, infuriating smile already set into place. Seconds of silence passed between the men. With a tiny sigh, Conrart let the smile drop from his face and allowed his oldest companion to see the unease that had been plaguing him.

"Yozak reporting in sir!" the burly spy adopted a perfect military salute, which clashed horribly with his usual rough appearance. The act achieved its goal when Conrart quirked an eyebrow up with far more humor than his earlier smiles.

"Well what have you got for me?" Sometimes it was hard for Conrart to believe that he and Yozak had managed to keep their friendship so long. It had survived fights, sharp tongued nobles, and even a war that so few came back from whole.

"Heika has turned in for the night. He spent the day tucked away in his office with a visit from both Geika and Lord von Christ. On a curious note he sent out a message with one of the staff. I'd have intercepted it, but the kid took off as though his pants were ablaze. It's a safe bet we'll hear the whos and whats of it before breakfast." It didn't take a genius to see Conrart was aware of the likely recipient of the letter.

"I see, anything of interest from either of the visits?"

"Well, if you consider Geika irritating Heika of interest, then yes. Otherwise nah." A raised eyebrow was the only response Yozak received. "Does sir intend to spend the night playing around with his sword," a pointed look crossed Yozak's face before he continued, "Or do you want to grab a bottle of something strong and waste some time swapping stories?" The spy turned as he spoke, throwing the last bit over his shoulder. Conrart didn't respond to his question, but Yozak could feel his captain's presence following him toward the kitchens and eventually to Conrart's quarters. The two spent the night talking, and if more than the normal amout of stories focused on the brunette's younger brother, well Yozak wasn't going to tell anyone.

*****

Wolfram stared at the letter that had just been placed in his hands. The fine quality of the envelope had been abused from evident handling. A faint red stain marked where the sealing wax had been removed and replaced by nervous hands. The blond turned his gaze to the rapidly retreating back of the messenger and murmured an idle, "Amateur." Not bothering to open the letter right away, he continued on his way to his temporary sleeping arrangements. He'd managed to get one of the maids to move his things out of Yuri's chambers, but little else had been accomplished. The day had been tiresomely long, everywhere he went eyes had followed him. Some held pity, others satisfaction, but they all stared. Apparently, a former prince and former Maou's fiancé was something to see.

It didn't take long for Wolfram to finish his evening routine, minus a soak in the Maou's bath. It was still earlier than normal for most to be turning in, so Wolfram knew he'd have an hour at least to digest the letter's content before one of his men returned to the room. With a deep calming breath, he settled down on his bed to read. It wasn't a particularly long message, written in Yuri's still shaky handwriting. He and two of his men were to leave the day after tomorrow to track the Double Black Trail in search of any relics or remains that might hint at the fate of those who traversed it so long ago. Wolfram didn't bother to contain a snort at the mission Murata had managed to concoct. It was impossible to tell if the man was conceited or just ironic in so many of his actions. The blond knew he should be filled with anger, misery, something other than the apathy that was forefront in his mind. He could still feel those emotions but it took so little to contain them. As he settled down to sleep, he couldn't help but wonder the last time he hadn't had to fight for every measure of emotional control. It had surely been before Yuri's arrival hadn't it? With one last mental shrug Wolfram rolled onto his side and fell into a deep sleep.

*****

The following day passed swiftly. Yozak's prediction had proved correct and the whole of the castle was aware of Wolfam's impending trip even as the chefs prepared the morning meal. A sense of unease began to envelope the castle as many of the powerful Mazoku in residence let their dislike of the situation show. Even Anissina refrained from any loud or disruptive experiments.

Wolfram spent the day going through the motions of preparing for a proper mission. His men were informed formally, and Simon and Edward made a show of accepting the offer to come along. The blond made sure to spend a bit of time with Greta, who forced a promise of letters when he could mange them. Each of his brothers found him somewhere along the day. Gwendal presented him with a knitted brown and cream tube, presumably a scarf to match the bear hat that still resided in his possession. Conrart once again alluded to his support of Wolfram and was rewarded with a quick but sincere hug from said blond. Wolfram wrote a letter to his mother explaining what had happened and expressing his love for her, wind holding up a pigeon would deliver it safely to her hands in under a week.

All too soon the preparations were completed and night was settling in. In the morning Wolfram and his men would be setting out. A dark figure sat staring out in to the approaching darkness having made its own preparations as well. Murata contemplated the situation before him. All in all there was a slim chance of any sort of happy ending being accomplished, but he was damn sure going to try and make one.

*****

AN: Peas and rice that was a pain. I support Conrart/Yozak but those boys just wouldn't play nice. Moving the story along a bit faster, I never intended it to go this long but oh well, stupid little side scenes just begged to be included. Next chapter, Wolfram and crew head out, what will this mean for the residents of Covenant Castle?


	19. Chapter 19

Rated M for foul language, alcohol usage, dark themes, and homosexual sex. If you are not mature enough to deal with these please turn back now. **New Warning: Light Bondage**

AN: Ok this chapter's a little smutty so part of it has been cut out on fanfictiondotnet, if you are of age and wish to read the whole thing you can get to my adultfanfictiondotnet account via my profile (it's the homepage link).

Chapter 19

Yuri shook weakly on his bed, the dim light of the waning moon shone over the scene playing out in the Royal Chamber. Blankets plied on the floor alongside Yuri's usual nighttime attire. Black silk wrapped securely around the Maou's wrists, holding them together above his head and anchored to the headboard. Two more lengths of silk kept the young ruler's legs straight and spread as they curled around his ankles and trailed to the footboard.

The air in the room seemed to ghost over his nude body, as if only to remind him of his exposed state. He'd lost track of time, but it seemed he'd been there so long, long enough for night to have past and came again many times over. However the moon remained unwavering and motionless since the moment he'd come to awareness. He'd tried calling for help, but his most frantic cries came out as pitiful whimpers. He'd pulled and thrashed against his bonds, but the silk held tight. He'd even tried to call on the Maryoku that he was just now becoming comfortable using, but his power remained dormant.

None of Yuri's efforts to free himself paid off. It was shameful, Yuri knew, to be trussed up on display like this, in his own castle none the less. Yet, despite the shame, cold, and pain in his limbs he was aroused. The squirming and struggling had only exasperated the problem and worse yet it had started to hurt. Bound as he was and not a cold shower in sight, Yuri once again started writhing, not to get free but to try and find some sort of relief from his persistent arousal.

It was during this fit of frustrated action that the door creaked open. Yuri froze, sweating and flush from exertion, his face pressed into his arm, unable to stand the thought of someone seeing him like this. He counted the beats of his heart as the door slid shut and soft footsteps trailed towards the bed. The delicate little slaps stopped as bare feet settled next to the foot of the bed, on the side away from his face. Surely the panicked thumps of his heart had to be echoing in the room so loudly that they blocked out the sounds of his audience. Surely anyone would mock such a pathetic king, ensnared and aroused in his own bed. But his visitor didn't laugh, didn't snicker, or snort. The silence was painful for Yuri, he began to wonder if there was even anyone really there. He forced his head to stay turned away, as much as he wanted to know that there was someone there, looking would make him realize just who was watching him like this.

"You're an idiot you know," a voice seemed to echo from just beside Yuri's head, causing the Maou to gasp loudly. It was unlike any he had heard before, but it was so familiar. "He's been waiting for you; it would be rude not to greet him."

Yuri felt his head turning, not really sure if he wanted it to. The moonlight wasn't very intense but it was still bright enough to show him the figure watching him. Pale pink fabric fell off even paler shoulders, inviting eyes to travel up a slender neck, only to be sidetracked by tousled blond hair. Yet it was the face that wrought a pained gasp from Yuri's lips. Tempting cherry lips glistened with saliva even as a tongue peaked out to wet them again. Emerald eyes, darkened with lust, tracked each subtle movement of Yuri's body as the Maou fought to stay still under the scrutiny.

"You're still an idiot, greet him." If Yuri had any of his wits about him, he might have noticed the exasperated tone in the voice.

"Wolfram…," Yuri whispered, surprised that the name seemed louder than his cries for help earlier. He fought a wave of panic when Wolfram began moving. Two small calloused hands settled on the bed between Yuri's spread feet.

"Yuri...," Wolfram's voice rubbed against Yuri like some tangible desert wind, hot and powerful.

"Ahh… Wolfram," Yuri panted, hating the way his voice sounded like some loose woman in one of Shori's dating sims.

"Idiot, tell him what you want, after all you summoned him here," Yuri turned to tell that irritating voice that he didn't summon anyone, but found that once again his words slipped out soundlessly. "Tell him."

"Yuri," again that burning wind swept over Yuri, drawing his attention back to blond watching him desperately.

"Wolf…Please," he forgot to be surprised at the return of his voice when Wolfram started crawling sinuously onto the bed. He was sure that his heart would explode each time one of those hands dipped the bed slightly on their owner's path forward. When Wolfram finally stopped his hands rested on either side of Yuri's waist, arms straight holding the weight of his body off Yuri. That treacherously pink fabric caressed the insides of Yuri's thighs every time he shifted even the slightest bit. And oh God, Yuri thought, the neck of Wolfram's night gown opened wide enough he could see the line of the blond's body. His eyes roamed over that tone slender chest, down Wolfram's tight firm stomach, and finally rested on the hard column of flesh that seemed to sway ever so slightly with each breath Wolfram took. Yuri couldn't look away, he knew it was wrong, but the undeniable proof of Wolfram's attraction sent a fresh wave of arousal through the bound king.

"Haven't figured out the game yet? Idiot." The sound of that increasingly annoying voice was nearly enough to take Yuri's eyes away from the picture of wickedness in front of him, nearly.

"Wolf please… Off," even Yuri wasn't sure what he was asking for, part of his mind was yelling that he wanted Wolfram to get off of him, but the larger part knew it was something much less innocent.

_xxxxx Edited for adult material, if you are of age and wish to read the unedited version please check out the aff dot net version which is the homepage on my profile. xxxxx_

The room swam as Yuri rode out the waves of pleasure his joining with Wolfram produced. As the rhythm of his heart slowed to a more typical pace, Yuri glanced up to take in his former fiancé's visage, fully expecting a satisfied smirk to match the lust filled one he'd received earlier. The melancholy resignation that graced the blond's face alarmed Yuri greatly; surely Wolfram would be glad they'd finally been together.

"Yuri…," Wolfram sighed, his voice no longer rushed over Yuri like some great furnace. Instead it reminded him of a late autumn breeze, the chill of winter already making it's self known. Yuri was reminded that his arms were still bound over his head as he attempted to reach out and console Wolfram. The blond shook his head sadly and turned to stare at the sky visible through the windows. When the moonlight started to shine through Wolfram's skin instead of on it Yuri began to panic.

"Wolfram!" He struggled harder against his bonds than he'd done since he first noticed them, the silk ties stayed strong and began to cut off circulation to the Maou's wrists.

"Were he's going your words will hold no sway over him," again the voice piped up.

"What?! No! Wolf please stay! I need you with me, please!" Yuri pleaded as Wolfram's increasingly translucent figure ignored his cries.

"He's past hearing you, maybe actions could speak for you, but then again you've never been good at that with him. Unless you wanted him to think you didn't want him around then you're just wonderful at it." Yuri turned to snarl angrily in the direction that the voice seemed to be coming from, only gasp at the sight awaiting him. Illuminated by the moon, a figure stood dressed in a familiar black uniform. Shoulder length hair whipped around caught in an intangible wind, black cat slit eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"You….you're…," Yuri stuttered.

"I'm you, well the non idiot version anyway. So easily distracted," Yuri turned as this new version of himself pointed back toward the window. The boy almost looked out the window, till he realized there was nothing in front of him.

"Wolfram? Wolfram. Wolfram!!" Yuri thrashed helplessly screaming Wolfram's name over and over again till it lost all semblance of words and became a mindless wailing.

Yuri woke up screaming. A quick glance out the window revealed the predawn lightening of the sky. Out of breath and frantic, Yuri tried to make sense of what was going on. He'd had another dream; the wetness in his pajamas was proof enough of that. But were as the others always left him satisfied or lustful, this one left him trembling with panic. The word 'idiot' echoed through his mind as Yuri hurriedly dressed, he needed to be somewhere, he needed to do something, he needed…Wolfram! An image of the blond popped up in Yuri's mind along with the remembrance of his imminent departure. Running his fingers through his hair, Yuri glanced down into the courtyard. Wolfram and the others were already there and getting ready to leave. Cursing under his breath, Yuri dashed out of the room. But with every step he took, doubt filled his mind. Why was he so worried about Wolfram because of a stupid dream? Still the blond was leaving, Yuri ignored the twinge of foreboding that shot through him at the thought, and Yuri needed to see him off properly. With that in mind, Yuri jogged down the last flight of stairs and ran into the courtyard.

*****

For the first time Murata understood why Yuri so often stood in terror of his former fiancé. The blond radiated aggravation in his direction, the very picture of an angered god. Apparently the young Maou had taken Murata seriously and not informed Wolfram that he'd be having company on his journey. Dawn was just breaking, but it seemed that the entirety of the castle was not only awake but watching the courtyard, though none dared to actually enter the yard. The audience was likely the only reason Wolfram hadn't taken to berating the Sage to within an inch of his life. Prying his eyes away from the certain doom written in Wolfram's expression, Murata took in the two guards that would be accompanying them. A tall brunette secured the straps on his saddle bags and offered a quick nod when he noticed the Sage's interest; Wolfram had referred to the young man as Edward. The other soldier sat astride his horse limply, a wide yawn split his face as his ran a calloused hand through his pale green hair. The man's name eluded Murata.

"Simon! Quit your slouching!" Wolfram's frustration had found an easy outlet.

"Ah Captain, but it's so early." Simon's voice echoed through the courtyard, petulant whine and all. Murata smiled faintly at the resulting tirade and made note of the man's name. The sensation of being watched crawled up the double black's spine and he turned to see Edward staring at him.

"Ah ha, nice morning isn't it," the only response Murata received was a slight nod. The sage motioned for the man to come closer, "He's doing that on purpose," he pointed at the other soldier, "Isn't he?" Again a nod was the only response, but this one was accompanied by a slight smile. The man mounted his horse and turned away from the Sage. Curious, Murata thought, Wolfram's men seemed well suited to calming down their commanding officer.

"And if I catch you behaving so foolishly again, you'll regret it in ways I can't mention in polite company." Simon paled slightly, he knew Wolfram would be in a bad mood but this was worse than expected.

"Yes sir," Simon saluted, "I understand."

"Well now that that's settled, are we ready to go?" Despite the small amount of light given off by the freshly rising sun, a ray still managed to cross the Sage's glasses obscuring his eyes from view. Murata was perversely glad for this when the former prince turned to glare at him again.

"If you still insist that your presence is necessary, then yes we are… Geika," Wolfram's voice sent minute shivers down Murata's spine, "I trust you've packed for an arduous trip?"

"Ha, of course. This is hardly my first excursion into the unknown. Sure you don't need to say anymore goodbyes? You're going to be gone for… quite some time." Murata couldn't help but be surprised that no one had come to wish the blond a safe journey. Surely at least his brothers would want to see him off?

"My goodbyes are as taken care of as they will get," Wolfram huffed arrogantly, unwilling to admit that he'd nearly been unable to sleep the night before between his guards and his brothers attempts at well wishing. Even Greta slipped out of bed to throw in her two cents.

"Ah, well then let's head out," mentally Murata cursed the unpredictable nature of Celi's sons. Unsteady breathing and rushed steps reached the Sage's ears and he fought to keep a smirk off his face, at least some people are still easy to read.

"Ha… Wolf… Wolfram… *pant* Wait a second!" Yuri slumped forward, hands braced on his knees, clothes eschew and mismatched. Clearly the young monarch hadn't planned to be up and about this early. Upon catching his breath Yuri continued, "Wolfram! Were you really going to leave without saying anything," he paused before whispering the last bit, "to me?"

"Heika," a sour look found its way onto Wolfram's face as he stared at the unkempt state of his ruler, "I was under the impression that everything was in order. More communication seemed superfluous." From their perch above the courtyard the castle maids gasped in tandem, Wolfram sounded so cold and Yuri looked so hurt!

"Wolf… I … We're… We're still friends… right?" Wolfram could feel his eyes softening as they took in Yuri's pitiful countenance.

"Of course Heika," Wolfram started.

"It's Yuri Wolfram. Heck, call me a wimp if you want, just… just not Heika. It sounds wrong when you say it."

"As you wish… Yuri," Wolfram felt as though he had to choke out Yuri's name and the blond steeled himself before continuing, "Unless there is something you needed to add, we were just about to head out."

"I uh…," suddenly acutely aware of his rumpled state and not so subtle audience, Yuri blushed and averted his eyes from Wolfram, "I just wanted to tell you good luck and please stay safe." Murata noted that Wolfram's men seemed oddly uncomfortable at Yuri's sentiment.

"Ah, I see. Thank you for your concern Hei… Yuri. However, I assure you it is unneeded. Our journey will surely go as planned. We really must be on our way… goodbye Yuri." The Maou focused his eyes back on Wolfram, the blond made it sound so final.

"It's not goodbye Wolfram, it's see you later." The sight of Yuri standing there with such a determined look on his face sent a wave of nostalgia through Wolfram and unable to speak he offered a tiny smile to Yuri. Murata barely resisted planting his face in his palm as the word 'idiots' echoed through his mind. Within minutes, Wolfram and his traveling companions made their way through the gates of Covenant Castle. Yuri and the other more inconspicuous witnesses were struck by the image of Shinou's descendent and the Great Sage riding side by side. For a moment no one spoke, of course the moment didn't last and before the hour was out there would be a new betting pool on whether or not Wolfram would be returning with a new double black fiancé. Unlike the tittering maids, Yuri could only take in the scene with a sense of unease. Something just didn't feel right to the young Maou, Wolfram was meant to stand at his side not Murata's, not anyone else's.

*****

Murata sighed heavily, at the rate things were going he'd be walking funny for days.

"Tired already Geika?" Wolfram smirked faintly at Murata's clear discomfort.

"Hah I suppose it has been a while since I've ridden like this," Murata allowed his eyes to narrow as he offered Wolfram an annoyed smile. The two guards on either side shared a nervous grin; even they were starting to get tired from the intense pace Wolfram had set. Since they had left the castle early that morning Wolfram had only allowed them to stop when the horses needed it. The sun had already passed it zenith several hours ago and the men preyed their commanding officer had a particular destination for the evening, else wise they could foresee riding long into the night. Murata had outlined the basic path they would be taking and despite Wolfram's annoyance at the Sage's planning, the group was following Murata's directions.

"So gentlemen," Murata let a small leer grace his face as he glanced at Wolfram's guards, "Does your Captain usually ride you so hard?" Simon and Edward made choking noises as they tried to think past the indecent thoughts Murata inspired.

"Murata," Wolfram growled each syllable out slowly.

"What? I'm only enquiring about your staying power. You look like a man who could do it all day and night… riding that is." Murata couldn't help but think it was just too easy to rile up the blond.

"Argh! Sometimes I really don't understand why so many people listen to every word to say like it was gospel, when half the things that you say are INDECENT!!" Wolfram turned in his saddle to shout at the unruffled double black.

"Ah the passion of youth, how I miss it. Though my body may be young my soul is weary," Murata brought a hand up to his forehead to complete his distressed look, "If only I was fit and ready like your men, I'd be able to satisfy your demanding pace."

"You… you… YOU HEDONISTIC EXCUSE FOR A SAGE!" Wolfram struggled to draw a calming breath, he'd expected Murata to resort to this type of teasing but it was still infuriating. "We're stopping for the night at the next town, so stop harassing my men." Only years of practice kept the other soldiers from breathing a sigh of relief. The rest of the ride was a quiet affair; they paused once for Murata to done a simple tan hooded cloak and a pair of green contacts. They may not be headed into human territory but double blacks always attracted far too much attention. It wasn't till they were entering the town that Murata decided to pipe up again.

"So do you intend to wear your uniforms the whole way?" The blue uniforms were attracting a bit of interest, or maybe it was the pretty boy dressed in one.

"Humph only till we get outside of normal patrol areas, after that they'll be more of a hindrance than an aide."

"My my an officer of the crown hiding away his uniform. I thought you'd be offended that I even asked," Murata was honestly a bit surprised at Wolfram's answer, he'd always assumed the blond was too proud of his position to shy away form it unless ordered to.

"Sometimes…," a far away look flashed into Wolfram's eyes, "Sometimes the best way to serve one's country isn't as a soldier on a sunlight battlefield, but as just another unfortunate shadow lurking in the night." Murata opened his mouth to question what exactly Wolfram was talking about when Simon's horse reared up slightly, drawing Wolfram's attention. "Soldier?" Wolfram questioned firmly.

"Ah sorry Captain, a cat darted out in front of her, I've got her calmed back down now."

"Well make sure you keep her that way, it wouldn't do to injure one of the civilians because you couldn't keep your horse in check."

"Yes sir!" Murata stared at the soldier in annoyance; there weren't any cats around that he could see.

"Fine, the inn is just ahead; hopefully they'll have some space available." They were in luck the inn did have a number of rooms open. After a quick discussion it was decided that Murata and Wolfram would share one room and the others would share the adjacent room. They took dinner in the inn's tavern, Wolfram and his men playing the hard working soldiers enjoying a night off while Murata observed the trio. It was odd, Murata thought, he'd been sure that away from the castle Wolfram would start showing signs of depression at the very least. Yet there he was laughing and carrying on with his men like anyone would. He wondered if perhaps the blond hadn't been as attached to Yuri as he'd thought, or a least maybe his condition wasn't as grave as it seemed.

It didn't take long to finish their meal and they headed up the inn's well worn stairs to their rooms. Murata continued to turn the puzzle that was Wolfram von Bielefeld over in his head as he nodded a good night to the soldiers. It wasn't till he was alone with the usually fiery blond that he noticed the former prince's steps become heavy and uneven. It seemed to take great effort for Wolfram to reach one of the beds in the room and promptly fling himself upon it.

"Tired?" Murata accepted the not so playful glare he received in response. "You'll only exhaust your self sooner trying to keep up a pace like the one today."

"Sore already?" Wolfram asked mockingly as Murata forced his face to remain neutral, apparently the blond had noticed his slight limp from the ride. "Don't worry, one more good day of riding and we can slow down as much as you want." As he spoke, Wolfram sat up slowly and slipped off his boots.

"If we are just going to slow down why ride like chased men for two days?" Murata watched as Wolfram turned away from him and shucked his blue jacket, laying the sturdy fabric out at the foot of his bed. The moonlight spilled into the room from a partially uncovered window, lighting the blond's features even as it cast shadows all around him. Perhaps if the double black had been born simply Murata Ken then the sight might have inspired him to write sappy poetry concerning angels, moon nymphs, and love; however, all the Great Sage could see was the shell of a man that had accepted his fate horrible as it may be. Murata opened his mouth to tell Wolfram that he didn't need an answer when the blond spoke.

"We should be outside the area my men and I usually patrol by tomorrow night… it will be easier then." The information tumbled around in Murata's head for a few seconds before the meaning clicked. They'd be outside their patrol area and outside of the area where Wolfram would be recognized on sight. Needing to know what else he could pry out of the blond, Murata prepared to rile Wolfram.

"So running from the rumor mill is it? Never thought I'd see the proud Lord Bielefeld running from a few gossiping housewives." The comment certainly sparked a flame in Wolfram as the soldier leapt off the bed to point angrily at Murata.

"Now see here! I'm not running from any busy body with to much time on her hands. I… *cough*" Wolfram's rant was cut short by a round of short wet coughs that left him staggering backward as he covered his mouth.

"Shit, Wolfram!" Murata rushed to the blond's side, worried that his aggravation had set off the fit. It passed as quickly as it started, leaving Wolfram sitting on the edge of the bed with his hand still covering his mouth. "Are you alright?"

"I…," Wolfram's voice came muffled through his fingers, "I think so." The words were at odds with the panicked look in Wolfram's eyes and the hand that still lingered over his mouth.

"Oh sorry I couldn't understand you," Murata forced a cheery tone into his words as he sat down next to Wolfram, "Maybe you should try talking without something in the way." For a long moment Murata was sure Wolfram wouldn't move his hand simply out of spite. However, Wolfram let his hand drop ever so slowly, causing to Murata to curse when he saw the blond's palm. Thick half congealed blood sat ominously on the pale skin of Wolfram's hand. Murata cursed again when he looked up to look a Wolfram's face. A fine spray of blood surrounded the dark smears of the stuff from where he'd held his hand against his face.

"I… ah," Wolfram mumbled as he stumbled to his feet and made his way to the washstand in the corner of the room, "That's… It's happening sooner than I thought." As the blond poured water in the basin, Murata stared at him aghast. The water tinged pink as Wolfram rinsed his hands. In his previous life Murata had witnessed several people suffering from Mausetot poisoning; coughing up blood was a sign of highly progressed corruption.

"You… you really shouldn't be traveling like this. You're just going to make it worse."

"Worse?" Wolfram turned sharply, blood still staining his face, "Worse! I'm a walking corpse; it doesn't get much worse than that."

"But you don't have to be," Murata held out his hands in a calming manner, "We'll turn around in the morning, Shibuya will marry you and everything will be," the crash of Wolfram flipping the wash basin on to the floor cut Murata off.

"Don't you say it! Nothing will be ok, not for me. I'm going to die and Yuri will find some conniving slip of a woman to warm his bed. I'll not be married out of pity or guilt. I've spent enough of my life being pitied or hated. There's not a chance in hell I'll wait around to see when Yuri's pity turns to resentment and revulsion." Wolfram ranted, letting out some of the anger that had been plaguing him.

"Wolfram," Murata let the name slip from his lips as gently as he could manage, "I don't think Shibuya even has the capacity for hate, sure he may balk at some things, but he really does care for you."

"Hah I know he cares," Wolfram spit out the word like a curse, "just like he cares for Aou or Belar or every idiot who has tried to assassinate him. He's already made it clear that he has no desire to marry another man, let alone me." Wolfram seemed to deflate, sinking to his knees.

"You love him?" Murata sighed at the 'what the hell do you think' look Wolfram turned his way. "Ah …" Silence reigned for a few moments as Wolfram stared at ground crossly.

"I," Wolfram started angrily, before taking a deep breath in attempt to calm himself and starting again, "I never wanted to… to love him. I never wanted to love anyone; love is a useless burden that never rewards as much as it takes."

"You can't control your heart like that, as advantageous as it would be to do so."

"Don't you think I know that," Wolfram hissed out, whipping around to glower at the Sage, "I've watched mother throw herself at men for decades and I've been doing the same damn thing with... with Yuri. Shit, we went through all that, the boxes, Shinou, Soushu, Yuri leaving then coming back and it still ends like this," Wolfram's shoulders slumped as he finished and trudged back to the bed, blood still adorning his face.

"You never know the end until it's already past, that's one thing I'm sure of, so you can't really say this is how it ends yet." Murata spoke slowly and steadily as he cleaned up the mess from the water basin and dampened a cloth from the still standing pitcher. "There are plans and forces out there that not even I, in all my sage-ly wisdom, can even hope to understand." Taking the cloth in one hand and gingerly cupping Wolfram's chin in the other, Murata wiped the specks of blood away from the blond's mouth.

"But what happens when you stop being needed for those plans?" Wolfram whispered, averting his eyes, "I've got a feeling that I've finished my usefulness." At a loss for any helpful bits of advice, Murata pulled Wolfram into a protective hug. He nestled his chin into blond waves as Wolfram's repressed sobs shook both their frames. A storm of curses at so called higher beings floated through Murata's mind as Wolfram fought against his emotions. He was going to do whatever he could to keep Wolfram alive, he hadn't been able to save Shinou, but he'd save Wolfram, if only to spite fate.

AN: Well I hope ya'll enjoyed that bit of porn/comedy/depression. See ya next chapter!!


	20. Chapter 20

Rated M for foul language, alcohol usage, dark themes, and homosexual sex. If you are not mature enough to deal with these please turn back now.

Chapter 20

The sun shone callously into the office of one greatly overworked Mazoku. Each ray seemed to viciously attack the room's occupant's eyes at every opportunity. Blindingly white stacks of paper practically glowed, the well polished desk reflected a mirror like gloss, and worse yet metal knitting needles shone as maliciously as any of Anissina's inventions under the midday light. The only thing keeping Gwendal from shutting the curtains and blocking out the evil sunlight was the fact that that would involve facing the sun lit windows first.

He'd spent half the night worrying about Wolfram, something wasn't right with his youngest brother, and now that the blond had departed on this new mission it could be months before Gwendal would get another chance to properly question him. The boy was acting oddly. He hadn't thrown a temper tantrum about the engagement fiasco nor the subsequent ousting from the castle. Gwendal would like to have believed it was a sign of maturity, but it was illogical to think that Wolfram would go from bratty kid to saint overnight.

Abandoning his knitting, Gwendal groused over the morning's events. As usual he'd watched over his brother's exit from the castle, only this time Yuri had run out to see him off looking like some sort of disheveled lunatic. Letting out a sigh he accepted that the Maou simply didn't know of Wolfram's preferences when leaving after all. His brother had always made a point not to leave the castle while Yuri was in residence. Either way what's done was done; Gwendal could only hope that no harm came to his baby brother.

"Gwendal?" a voice softly sounded through the slightly ajar door.

"What?" Gwendal couldn't help but grumble impolitely. The man who opened the door was well accustomed to such grumpiness and would have been concerned were it not present.

"I thought I might find you brooding in here," Gwendal was less than happy about the added white surface to the room Gunter's entrance provided.

"Humph, I'm not brooding," he didn't bother to attempt hiding the mass of blue yarn vaguely resembling a kitten from Gunter.

"Of course not, you're merely plotting how to take out Big Cimaron with a pair of knitting needles." Some of the statement's sting was taken out as Gunter moved to close the curtains with sure motions, finally blocking out foul sun. "He'll be back you know, I don't think that boy knows how to stay away or back down," Gwendal grunted in response, "It has to be better than watching him follow Yuri around like some sort abused dog. He'll end up a better man for having the experience, painful thou it may be. Better to have love and lost than to have never loved at all?"

"Are you quite done with the trite platitudes?" Gwendal growled at Gunter's odd attempts at cheering him up.

"I was trying to figure out how to add 'two beebears with one stone' but it just didn't seem to fit." Gunter sighed at the still dour look on his love's face, "As much as it pains me to say it, the brat is strong enough to survive a bit of heartbreak and maybe this little mission with be good for him. A chance to work through his anger and sadness will not being surrounded by pity and rumors. If memory serves they'll be headed in the opposite direction from the areas his men patrol. Who knows maybe he'll meet a dashing young man or a delicate flower of a girl who'll take his mind off matters completely," Gunter paused to admire the traumatized look on Gwendal's face at the mention of Wolfram finding someone before continuing, "You might even end up with a different double black as a brother in law."

"Argh don't say things like that and besides…" Gwendal trailed off mumbling something too low to hear.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you." Gunter watched Gwendal sigh and rest his forehead in the palm of his hand.

"I said he wasn't angry," at the surprised look on Gunter's face he continued, "When I was talking to him last night he seemed… distant. I could tell he was sad but it wasn't … I don't know, he wasn't sad enough."

"You…" Gunter's eye's showed white as he gripped one hand over his heart and pointed the other at Gwendal dramatically, "You sadist! You wanted your own brother to be miserable!"

"WHAT!" Gwendal stood sharply, knocking over the chair he'd been sitting in. "What the hell are you talking about!"

"My suave and manly charms aren't enough for you, I must procure a blond wig and …ack," Gunter was cut off by Gwendal's hands wrapping around his neck. Being well trained in combat, Gunter was able to dislodge the murderous grip. Of course being terminally clumsy outside of battle, Gunter tripped on his own cloak and sent the pair tumbling to the ground. The two tussled for several moments as Gwendal slowly lost the urge to throttle his older lover. Finally, Gwendal lay panting over Gunter, holding his shoulders to the ground.

"Why do you say things like that!?" Gwendal growled in exasperation at Gunter's less than contrite expression.

"It really is the only way to get you out of a funk," Gunter smiled serenely and placed a chaste kiss on the lines permanently etched on Gwendal's brow. "Now what where you saying?" The groan Gunter received from his question was strangely satisfying.

"You'll be the death of me… if I don't kill you first," sighing Gwendal attempted to get up, but found Gunter had wrapped his arms around his waist and seemed to have no intention of letting go. "Fine, have it your way," Gunter smirked at the victory, "I don't want Wolfram to be depressed over this, but I expected him to be. It's unnerving seeing him like that; it makes me wonder that something more is wrong."

"Hmm, I suppose he did seem a bit weaker than normal," Gunter finally remembered the incident he'd seen in the hallway. Looking at the somewhat more relaxed expression his lover was carrying, he thought it best not to mention it to him till he'd had an opportunity to speak to Gisela about it. "But I'm sure it was nothing to be worried about. Now then," Gunter released his hold on Gwendal and made to stand up. Gwendal grumbled a bit but stood and helped Gunter to stand as well. "I do believe you have some paperwork to get ready for our beloved Maou?" He almost felt guilty at the look of unholy glee that passed over Gwendal's face, almost. Whenever Yuri had massive mountains of paperwork a 'break' for a lesson always seemed like a good idea to the young Maou.

*****

Gisela took the tending of the herbs and other various plants used for healing very seriously, which is why she always spent part of her day elbows deep in soil. If the work provided an excellent method of finding peace on the most stressful of days, well then all the better. Of course, today those plants were being mangled instead of lovingly cultivated; stressful didn't do justice to the nightmare of a day that had begun.

First, she has to watch Yuri further trample over the heart of one of her closest friends. She could be lenient and assume that Yuri just didn't know that running out there like an idiot in the morning was something that Wolfram sincerely did not want. But, that made it worse, one more thing he never bothered to learn about the man he'd been engaged to for so many years. The through of it just infuriated her.

Then her Maou obsessed father had to come talk to her about his 'concerns'. Thinking of the incident resulted in the tragic lose of another tiny herb in the garden. Sighing to herself, Gisela brushed the soil off her hands and abandoned any hope of finding peace in the normally relaxing hobby. Instead, she returned to the infirmary replaying the scene with Gunter, trying to decide if there had been some way to steer the conversation differently.

*****

"Gisela! Gisela!" Gunter's voice echoed about in the infirmary in a panic, nearly startling the woman in question into dropping the carton of vials she'd been retrieving from one of the supply closets.

"What?" she called back, rushing out to meet him and wondering if someone had been injured.

"You must give Heika a physical exam!" Gunter looked at her pleadingly. Her first response was to stare at him stupefied.

"A what?" The term wasn't one she'd ever heard used before.

"Heika told me about them. You take off his shirt, check his weight and height, and make sure his spine bends right to insure he is healthy and prosperous!" Sometimes Gisela really wondered why she respected her father, this was one of those moments.

"Why would I need to give Heika one of these 'physical exams' anyway?"

"I fear this whole engagement ordeal may be affecting him negatively," Gisela perked at his response hoping he'd ask her something so that she could tell him about Wolfram's condition. "It's too bad Lord Bielefeld has already departed or I'd have you give him one as well. No matter I'm sure that if Heika is fine the he must be also." It was through sheer force of will that the healer didn't give into her more violent tendencies and choke the life out of her father.

"What effects one may not do the same on the other; really I should examine both of them." She hoped Gunter would suggest calling Wolfram back to the castle to Yuri.

"You may be right; well you'll just have to examine him once he returns. He's a grown man and I'm sure he'll seek medical attention should it become necessary. I'll add the exam into Heika's schedule for tomorrow. Well I'll leave you to your work, I've got lessons to prepare myself," Gunter nodded once satisfied at his words and all but flounced out the door leaving Gisela to stare at the space he'd just occupied. It took all her will to not simply bang her head against the nearest wall until she stopped thinking. With a mournful sigh she abandoned the infirmary to tend to the herbs, muttering darkly to herself

"Oh I'll 'examine' him; I'll 'examine' him to within an inch of his life."

*****

Whilst having tea in one of the gardens with an unusually sullen Greta, Yuri felt a shiver of fear race down his spine. He'd been trying to reclaim her favor since he belatedly realized that he'd affected her life as well with his self admittedly rash actions. Not that he'd intended for everything to happen so fast. Sure he had wanted the engagement to end, but everything was so sudden.

"There's a fly in your cup," Greta monotoned in Yuri's direction. She'd been surprised that Yuri had instigated a small tea party with her after lunch instead of hiding out till everyone stopped being so mad at him. Usually it was Wolfram or on rare occasions Gwendal that she took afternoon tea with.

"What! Oh haha thanks Greta," Yuri laughed nervously.

"You're welcome, after all, being a family means you warn each other _before_ bad things happen," Yuri would have to have been deaf to miss the accusation in her voice. His little girl was growing in to a young lady with quite the sharp tongue.

"Greta," Yuri winced at the cutting look he received, "I didn't intend to not tell you before it happened, but everything spiraled out of control faster than I could have imagined."

"Why didn't you do it sooner? Why did you let me get used to the idea of the three of us being a family? Why did you make him wait so long, just to throw him away in the end?" Anger was flooding the princess's voice as indignant tears swam in her eyes.

"Oh Greta, sweetie, I never planned to hurt you or Wolfram either. There was always something pressing going on and I…," seeing the scornful look in his daughter's eyes Yuri bowed his head, "There's really no excuse is there? I guess, I guess I just got used to having him beside me. It's comforting to know that no matter what there is always someone beside you. I guess, it was easier to not think about why he was there." Watching her papa struggle with his words and emotions, Greta let go of a tiny bit of the anger she'd been carrying on Wolfram's behalf.

"I still don't understand why you don't love him. You've called him beautiful when you think no ones watching."

"Greta! How… When…?" Yuri's mouth gaped open like a fish as he started at Greta.

"Well you're not the only one who likes to sneak out of Gunter's lessons, I'm just better at not getting caught." Arms crossed defiantly across her chest and a cocky grin graced her lips, Yuri smiled at the display so reminiscent of her other father.

"I'd tell you to stop skipping your lessons, if I didn't try so hard to do the same."

"That's ok papa Wolfram usually…" her expression drooped at the mention of Wolfram, "Why can't you love him or at least marry him? He's your best friend right? What more could you want in a spouse?"

"Greta, it's not that simple. Where I come from men can't marry men, it's not allowed."

"That's not what grandmamma Jennifer told me," Yuri cursed his mother as Greta spoke, "She told me that in some places on Earth you can marry anybody you want, man or woman."

"Ah well I guess that's true now, but Japan isn't one of those places." Yuri shifted uncomfortably, his mother never failed to remind him of the changing marriage laws on Earth whenever he visited.

"Then why does Ja Pan have so many books devoted to two men being together?" Unable to form words, Yuri sat stone still, color draining from his face. Surely his mother hadn't? "She even told me you used to read some of her show-nin-aye mon-gah." Despite the less than stellar pronunciation, it was clear to Yuri that his meddling mother had corrupted his innocent little girl.

"I.. I… I was just a kid; I didn't know what I was looking at. I even had dreams, no nightmares! Defiantly nightmares for weeks afterwards. Never read anything she gives you unless I approve it first ok." Yuri caught Greta's eyes, hoping that he wasn't too late, hoping that his mother hadn't shown her any of those publications of boys doing _things_ to other boys.

"Geez Yuri it not like they have anything worse in them than what I've seen uncle Gwendal and Gunter doing when they think they are in 'private'." If he'd been listening, Yuri might have heard the call of a bad omen bird high over head but all he could do was try to keep his brain from breaking at the thoughts racing through it.

"_Gwendal_ and _Gunter_!? Since when!? And why in the name of everything good and holy are they doing stuff like _that_ where people can see them?! They aren't even married!"

"Since like forever. They try and be subtle but Celi-mama, Anissina, and Gisela know. I'm pretty sure uncle Conrad and papa Wolfram know too. They just keep quiet so uncle Gwendal doesn't get mad. Gisela says they aren't married cause her dad's an idiot, who is so afraid of loosing the man he loves, he can't hold on to him properly. Since when do you need to be married to kiss?" seeing the look of shock on Yuri's face, she couldn't help but add, "What kind of mon-gah did you read?"

"I ah," shoving away images of _things_ going into _places_, Yuri tried to respond, "I ah didn't know those two were so ah involved. And yes you have to be married to kiss, especially princesses. No kissing or anything till you're married." Greta rolled her eyes, clearly not taking her father's declaration seriously.

"Soooo you don't mind if Gwendal and Gunter get married, it's not wrong?"

"No that's fine; if they love each other then they should be together."

"So you don't think two men marrying is a bad thing?" Greta held her breath waiting for Yuri's answer.

"Hum, well I guess not." Really thinking about it Yuri couldn't see anything wrong with the idea other than it's unacceptability on Earth and he wasn't on Earth at the moment.

"So why won't you marry Wolfram?"

"But… He's a guy!" Yuri sputtered nervously.

"Is that the only reason? If he was a girl would you marry him?" Greta waited a moment to see if her father could answer her. When he remained silent she stood up, dusting off her clothes. "Well I've got a riding lesson to get to I'll see you later Papa."

Yuri watched his daughter walk off towards the stables while turning her question over in his mind. He'd never really considered if there was a reason other than his gender that made Wolfram unsuited for his spouse. He tried to imagine a woman with all Wolfram's qualities and shuddered at the intimidating image. But a woman just like Wolfram wasn't Wolfram. Really Yuri knew Wolfram was quite the catch just at he was. Unprompted a thought floated through the Maou's mind, 'if I was a girl I'd probably go for him'. When he realized what he'd just thought he shut down that train of thought, labeling it stupid and doing his best to forget it ever popped into his mind. Shaking himself slightly, Yuri stood and exited the garden.

*****

In one of the ports along Small Cimaron's coast, a small pigeon landed delicately on the arm of its intended target. Cooing happily it accepted the treat offered to it and allowed the note wrapped around its leg to be removed. When an aura of pure malice began to form around the bird's perch, it hastily flew over to land on the railing of the ship it's former perched stood on.

"Raven!" The bird watched as a tall dark man appeared in its field of vision summoned by the woman who had taken his note.

"Yes Lady Celi?" The blond woman smiled viciously at the man she'd managed to commandeer for her latest cruise.

"I think it's high time we returned to Covenant Castle, there's something I need to do."

*****

AN: Ha ha so begins the 'back at the ranch' style chapters. Started using italics to highlight words that are said or thought with emphasis.


	21. Chapter 21

Rated M for foul language, alcohol usage, dark themes, and homosexual sex. If you are not mature enough to deal with these please turn back now.

Chapter 21

The sight Murata was greeted to, upon awakening, was truly one to behold. He rubbed his eyes and located his glasses; just to be sure it wasn't a trick of the predawn light. Apparently, Yuri's tales of Wolfram's wild sleeping habits had some truth to them. The down pillows that had begun the night tucked under blond curls had been tossed to opposing sides of the room. Blankets pooled and piled about the bed and floor in lumpy waves, not a one of them covering Wolfram at all. This really was a shame for the poor blankets, as had they stayed wrapped around the bed's occupant they'd be touching quite the expanse of creamy white skin. The white cotton nightgown Wolfram had donned for bed rode up clear to his chest, exposing the scrap of blue fabric encasing the blond's most private of areas. His arms crossed on the bed to provide a place for his head to rest as he lay on his stomach. He didn't stay still for long, flopping on to his back roughly, arms splayed out haphazardly.

Murata stifled a chuckle at the display and wondered what exactly had woken him before the sun had even begun to truly rise. He was hardly known for being an early riser; usually it was closer to noon before he stirred if left undisturbed. A light tap at the door provided a possible answer. Cursing Shin Makoku's lack of house slippers, Murata walked barefoot to the door.

The double black was mildly surprised at the person responsible for the knocking. Wolfram's pale haired guard, Simon if the sage's memory held, stood just outside the door looking a bit sheepish. For a moment Murata wondered if the men had over heard the incident the night before.

"Good morning Geika. I hope you slept well," Simon whispered as formally as he could manage. Murata snorted mentally at the young man pointed not looking into the room, clearly having been exposed to Wolfram's rather well… exposing sleeping habits. Of course being who he was, Murata couldn't let this opportunity to tease a new victim pass by.

"I suppose I slept well enough. Surely not as roughly as our dear traveling companion," a wicked gleam entered Murata's eyes as he pointed back at the blond; intentionally drawing the soldier's eyes to his captain's sleeping form. And Wolfram oh so helpfully chose that moment to shift around again, this time tucking his legs underneath his body in a sort of fetal position that left his tail end up in the air.

"I…I…," Simon stuttered helplessly at the sight, he'd drawn the short straw for waking his captain and the sage. It was with restraint born from years of exposure to Wolfram's less than dainty sleeping habits that the soldier turned his eyes away from his commanding officer with only a faint blush on his cheeks, "Ah that's good sir. Lord Bielefeld instructed us to wake him as well as yourself so that we could depart before the sun rose too high."

"Did he now?" Murata allowed himself a glare at the still sleeping blond, "Well then, I suppose you'd better wake him." There was no attempt to disguise Murata's sadistic glee at Simon's discomfort; clearly the man had hoped Murata would wake Wolfram instead.

"Ah yes sir," a quick audible gulp followed his words before the soldier entered the room creeping ever closer to the sleeping man. He made every effort to keep his eyes on the head of the bed and not its occupant. Stopping just short of an arm's length from the edge of the bed Simon shot a glance back at the smirking Sage. Of course, neither of them was expecting Wolfram to relieve them of waking him in a most disturbing manner.

"NO MORE FISH IN THE LATRINES!" Wolfram yelled decisively whilst leaping to his feet and pointing angrily at the wall as though it had offended him. The action startled Simon so much that he tripped over his own feet in his haste to be out of the blond's threat range. Murata could only blink dumbfounded at the outrageous scene in front of him; Wolfram's eyes weren't even open for Shinou's sake. Before anyone gathered enough wits to speak, Wolfram sat down roughly and yawned while finally opening his eyes to tiny slits.

"…Captain?" Simon started hesitantly as he stood.

"Mergal sem?" Wolfram mumbled unintelligibly, earning odd looks from the other men.

"You with us sleeping beauty?" The growl he received in response had Murata mentally reprising beauty to beast, especially when Wolfram turned his nose to the ceiling and sniffed like an animal catching a whiff of its prey. The creak of a floor board drew the attention of all in the room to the dark haired soldier now standing at the door, tray filled with breakfast foods in hand. Edward awkwardly entered the room, offering a quick bow to Murata out of respect. The mere presence of food in the room seemed to finally fully awaken the former prince. As Edward set the tray on a small table provided in the room, Simon stood and moved to stand near the door where Murata took the opportunity to question him.

"Is he always like that? Rough sleeping and all?" Murata mock whispered while pointing at Wolfram devouring a square pastry.

"Ah well," Simon hesitated his desire to not reveal personal things about his captain warring with his need to answer his superiors, "That is, only when he doesn't feel completely comfortable. Really it's a good thing when we're out patrolling; nobody stands a chance at taking him out while he's sleeping."

"So if he felt safe and secure around me he would have slept just fine," Murata mumbled half to himself. He ignored Simon when the soldier started babbling about how Wolfram's behavior wasn't an insult or anything of the sort. Instead, Murata focused on the quandary the mornings events had risen in his thoughts. Would Yuri have had a better bed partner had he accepted Wolfram? Was Yuri in part responsible for his own torture? How did Yuri not jump Wolfram while the former prince was more than half naked and writhing in his bed? Shaking his head slightly, Murata focused back on the soldier he'd been speaking to.

"… so you see it's a good thing the Captain doesn't feel comfortable around you yet, because that way he will be ready to protect you at a moment's notice."

"Ah…" Murata could feel a bead of sweat slide down his temple at the young man's babbling, "That's quite informative. I hope the kitchen still has some food available, I dare not attempt to take any away from the wild animal currently eviscerating that scone," Murata glanced pointedly at Wolfram's display of an unusual lack of manners while eating.

The look of worry that passed over Simon's face confirmed a suspicion that Murata had begun to have. Yuri's maryoku was clearly not supplementing Wolfram's own any more. As a result Wolfram's energy was being depleted more quickly at it attempted to mirror the healing Yuri's produced. Wolfram's increased appetite was clear evidence of his maryoku fatigue.

"I'm sure there is still plenty of food Geika, would you like me to escort you down?" Murata had to smother a snicker at the soldier's attempt at being gentlemanly. It was obvious the man hadn't grown up doing such things, but most likely learned to do so under Wolfram's command.

"You know that sounds like a fine idea. We'll leave… Edward was it?" he paused to receive an affirmative nod from the man in question; "We'll leave Edward here to tend to the sleepy beast." In short order, Murata and Simon left the room in search of food leaving a mildly concerned Edward staring at his voracious captain.

"What?" Wolfram stated shortly after a few moments of being watched. He knew he was being rude but the idea of stopping eating fell somewhere between preposterous and impossible. A raised eyebrow and a gesture at the rapidly emptying tray was the response he received. "I know, I know," Wolfram grumbled, hardly unaware of the reason behind his appetite, "We'll need to pick up some more provisions before we leave; there isn't a village for several days the way we're going. Might as well eat while I still can."

Edward nodded solemnly; well aware that once Wolfram's body realized that it couldn't replenish maryoku quickly enough it would begin to focus on conserving energy rather than creating it. His appetite would dwindle as his body worked to keep his heart pumping and lungs filling with air, ignoring the digestion of food and instead feeding off the fat and muscle that made up Wolfram's body. It wasn't a pretty picture, Mausetot poisoning killed by making the body destroy itself while attempting to expel or fight the poison. Not wanting to watch his captain anymore at the moment, Edward glanced about the room. His eyes quickly lit upon the washbasin. He and Simon had overheard some of the events from the night before, but had dismissed it as their captain's temper getting out of control again. The obviously blood stained towel setting atop the bent metal wash pan clued him into more of what must have happened. Blood couldn't be a good sign but he knew better than to make any attempts at questioning Wolfram about it.

"Stop," Wolfram sighed heavily while finally setting aside his meal, "Quit thinking about it. We both know what's going to happen and there's no use grousing over the particulars," Edward turned to him looking contrite, "Now get out so I can get dressed…unless you're looking for a free show?" Wolfram didn't usually resort to teasing his men in such a manner but it did get the man out of the room in quite a hurry.

Now alone, Wolfram finally let a flush come over his face that he'd been trying to keep in check. It was bad enough that his men and his… former fiancé knew about he sleeping habits, but now the ever teasing Geika knew as well. He felt a wave of embarrassment at the thought of Murata bringing it up in front of the castle residents. The feeling was cut short when he remembered that even if the Sage brought it up to them, Wolfram would be past caring. Before his mind could sink in the depths of pondering existence after death, Wolfram shook his head and climbed out of bed to ready for the day.

Downstairs, Murata was nibbling on some local fruit while flirting lightly with the inn keeper's niece who was doling out food to the inn residents and townspeople alike. Having already finished eating, Simon was alternately watching the stairs for the rest of their party and grinning at a couple of youngsters mock dueling outside the inn's window. Edward rushing down the stairs brought the attention of both men, but only Simon recognized the pinched look on his brunette comrade. It was clear to him that Wolfram had resorted to some light teasing to get him out of the room. It was an all too familiar tactic that the green haired man had been on the receiving end of more than once.

"Why hello again Eddy," Murata called in an amused tone. The only response was rolled eyes and a near mocking bow. "And here I thought Lord Bielefeld would have better taught you how to greet your so called superiors," the men traded looks over Murata's shoulder, "Come to think of it, I don't believe I've ever heard you speak."

"Ah well that would be because he doesn't," Simon answered somewhat surprised that the Sage didn't know already.

"Doesn't?" Murata paused for a moment, "Are we talking vow of silence or inability?"

"Ah the second Geika."

"Hum that's odd I thought all of Wolfram's men were skilled in maryoku manipulation, it's rather difficult to do so with out vocally calling on the elements."

"Difficult but not impossible," Simon paused and looked at Edward for permission to tell more about the brunette's situation, he nodded in response, "After he lost his voice the Captain taught him how to call on his element without words."

"Hmm you must have had quite the natural talent," Murata commented to Edward. The man blushed, embarrassed at the attention.

"Hn," a snort echoed from the stairs and they turned to see Wolfram descending the last step dressed in his uniform minus the jacket which he had draped across one shoulder. "Hardly, but he's almost as stubborn as I am so he got it eventually, pretty good at it even." Murata could tell that the insult hadn't even fazed Edward but the man was practically glowing from the small praise.

"Hum one more oddity about your men Bielefeld," Murata smirked lightly, "You know when I first got here a certain Maou insisted that all of your men were blond, thought clearly that's not true." A wry grin crossed Wolfram's face and a visible shudder passed over his men.

"They were for a few months, somehow my unit got volunteered to help Anissina test … hum what was the name of that …thing." Wolfram paused with a hand thoughtfully on his chin.

"Instant-Sword-Shiny-kun," Simon added.

"Right, the smoke from the damn thing exploding turned all their hair blond, it was… quite the sight. Of course some how Anissina was out of the blast range."

"Ah ha perhaps we should head out sir?" Simon asked clearly ready to change the subject.

Mmm you're right finish up and we'll get going," Wolfram shook out his coat before putting it on.

True to his word they rode at a rapid rate for the rest of the day, only stopping once the lack light on unfamiliar terrain made going on more dangerous that desirable. They camped out that night and Wolfram and his men packed away their uniforms once they rose. After the first two days Wolfram turned over control of the pace to Murata, needed less to say they slowed to a much more sedate speed. Staying at inns when they were on the way and sleeping under the sky, several nights and days passed in a blur as they traversed the Double Black Trail.

Finally, after a few weeks they had to stop in one of the villages near Shin Makoku's boarders to replenish their most basic supplies. The warning the shop keeper gave them filled three out of four of them with boiling anger, and filled the other with curiosity.

"You nice boys be careful there have been some raiders in the area, such a shame I once thought that man was a hero."

"I'm sorry ma'am what are you talking about, who was a hero?" Murata asked.

"Those horrible men wear the uniform and bear the seal of the Lion of Lutenberg."

*****

A cool breeze blew in from a purposefully left open window in Covenant Castle's infirmary. The area's only current occupant shivered from the breeze and a nervous feeling he'd had since he had seen the appointment Gunter had added to his date book. Yuri sat warily on the edge of one of the beds, dressed only in a thin robe that Gisela had left out for him. Somehow the Maou's primary adviser had gotten it in mind that a physical exam was in dire need.

Really Yuri couldn't figure out why Gunter had seemed so concerned, he felt fine, great even. Despite the weirdness of not being assaulted in the night, he had finally gotten a full night's sleep. He was sure that the sleep must have well needed because all day the Maou felt like a kid again, unable to sit still and concentrate he was so full of energy. Part of him wonder if it was his new found freedom, but he quickly shoved that idea down as it just didn't feel right.

"Ah good Heika, you followed my directions," Gisela swept into the room without so much as a knock or warning, leaving Yuri unusually glad he was quick in changing out of his normal clothes.

"Ha yeah. Um, was it really necessary for me to practically get … naked for this?" Yuri started to backpedal when he noticed Gisela's annoyed look, "I mean I'm sure you know best, but ah aren't you going to use Maryoku to determine everything?"

"Well under normal circumstances yes, but Lord Christ insisted that I attempt to follow Earth traditions as well as Mazoku in this examination," truthfully Gunter had suggested no such thing out right but the healer wasn't against a little lie every now and again. "Luckily Lord Weller was thoughtful enough to bring me several medical texts back from your world on one of his visits. I've been translating them with the help of one of Lady Anissina's inventions," she couldn't help but enjoy the look of panic that flashed over the Maou's face.

"Ah well," it was clear Yuri wanted to make some sort of protest but the thought of angering two of the most powerful women in Shin Makoku filled him with fear, "Ok I guess do what you need to." Yuri watched anxiously as Gisela moved deftly around the room, gathering a few bits of equipment and what looked like an English medical text with sheets of parchment between nearly every page.

"Mmm it seems the first thing is to figure out your height and weight. Well the only scale in the castle is down in the kitchen," Yuri panicked at the idea of going down there in practically nothing, "But there's no reason to bother the chefs if you know your own weight?"

"Oh I do! I weight 64 kilograms." Yuri resisted the urge to raise his hand like a school boy.

"Kilograms? Humm…" Gisela buried her nose in the book while frowning slightly, "There's no mention of these kilograms, only pounds."

"Oh you must have one of those weird American books, they don't use normal measurement. Um let me think," Yuri used every bit of memory he could trying to remember the conversion in order to save one shred of his dignity, "That should be the same as 142 pounds."

"Good, now height. Hop up for me and stand against that wall." Gisela pointed at one of the walls uncovered by any tapestry.

"Like this?" Yuri stated, back to the wall.

"That will do," she counted the bricks behind him, "Well you're 16 and a half bricks tall and by my calculations that makes you," she glanced in her book again, "4 feet 11inches tall."

"WHAT! There's no way I was 5'6" in high school! People don't just shrink! How did you get that number?!"

"Well I took a survey of the average foot length of those in the castle at the time and used the average as the measurement of a foot, then divided it by 12 since the book said there are 12 inches in a foot. After that it was simply a matter of seeing how many inches each brick is tall and then I've got a handy height taking spot," Yuri blinked at her somewhat stupidly.

"Ah," he weighed the danger of telling her that her calculations were incorrect now or not telling her and hoping she never found out, "Ah well… I guess things sure are different here in Shin Makoku." Gisela smiled and mentally thanked Murata for pointing out the error in her calculations earlier that year, now she could enjoy the full confusion of the Maou without any of her own. Gisela ran a few more tests that Yuri was mostly familiar, even if she did add her own special techniques to them, making notes in a large journal type book as she went along.

"Hum lets see," she looked back at the book, "Next up a …mammogram." She looked on mildly puzzled as Yuri proceeded to choke on his own tongue and turn an odd shade of red from the bottom of his feet to the tips of his ears.

"W…w…w…what?" Yuri whispered hoarsely.

"The book says it's standard procedure for royals during these kind of examinations."

"Oh god let me see that book," Yuri pleaded reaching for the book desperately. Gisela complied with only a moment's pause. She watched as Yuri flipped through the pages, glancing between the printed text and her own hand written translations. English had never been the Maou's strong suit while he was in school and now trying to switch between the two different types of written words and the Japanese he still tended to think in when he got nervous was giving him a headache. Finally, he waved Gisela over to look at a word in the text.

"Ok what does this one usually translate as?" he pointed at the word.

"Hmm that is 'Royal'." Yuri flipped to a different section of the book and pointed to a different word.

"And this one?"

"Oh that one means 'Commoner'." Yuri smacked himself in the forehead unsure if he should laugh or cry. "Is there something wrong Hieka?"

"Well ah… you said Anissina made the translating device?"

"Yes."

"Well um that first word I showed you is 'Woman' and the second is 'Man'."

"You don't say, well I guess there are still a few bugs that need to be worked out." Yuri felt a sense of relief as Gisela flipped back to the section dealing with men's health. "Hum let's see then we need to perform a prostate exam." All color drained from Yuri's face. Still reading from the book she continued, "It looks like it would be best if you turned around and braced your hands on the table." A pitiful whimper escaped Yuri's mouth as the room spun dangerously. Seconds before the Maou's feinted, he could have sworn someone was whispering the word 'wimp' in his head.

*****

AN: Hah pushed through my first real case of writers block for this one. Note to self: muse likes being sadistic.


	22. Chapter 22

Rated M for foul language, alcohol usage, dark themes, and homosexual sex. If you are not mature enough to deal with these please turn back now.

Chapter 22

Light streamed in through the library windows, highlighting the figure in the room. Gunter puttered around the room, readying for the Maou's lesson that afternoon. Sighing, the advisor looked outside to see Yuri taking his morning jog alongside Lord Weller. It had been three weeks since Wolfram left the castle and Conrart had only just began running with the Maou again, but even from this distance it was clear that the elder half Mazoku was lacking his signature smile. Life at the castle had settled down some since what some were calling 'The Engagement Catastrophe'. Gisela had completed the physical examination of the Maou that he had requested. Gunter had been relived to hear that other than a moderate increase in Maryoku, Yuri was in perfect health. Of course he couldn't miss the disappointment in his daughter's voice when she had told him the results. Admittedly, Wolfram and Gisela had been friends for decades but it worried Gunter that she could have such ill will towards their king.

"Lord Christ?" In his contemplative state Gunter had not noticed the door opening and the young princess making her way inside.

"Ah Princess, did you need something?" It was rare for the girl to actively seek him out; usually she avoided him when not in a lesson.

"I need to talk to someone." Greta didn't even bother acting like the innocent little girl most people assumed she still was; of course Gunter being Gunter didn't notice the difference.

"Oh Princess I'm so happy Heika's darling daughter has seen fit to place her trust in me."

"Ah yea, well normally I'd talk to Wolfram Papa or Yuri Papa, but well you know." Gunter could barely contain his joy at being second only to the girl's parents. "So I went to see Anissina, but she was buried in one of her inventions. Then I tried Uncle Gwen but he was all growly cause he'd run out of yarn… I think the castle's yarn supply is dangerously low," the girl stage whispered the last bit, "And Uncle Conrad had such a sad look on his face I couldn't talk to him."

"So then you sought me out?" Gunter questioned now somewhat deflated that he wasn't her second, third or even fourth choice.

"Well Gisela's been in such a funk, Grandmum Celi's on a love quest, Hube and Nicola are so busy now that Elle is old enough to cause some real chaos." Gunter was barely restraining the tears from the hit his pride was taking. "And this really isn't something I can talk about with the maids or Dakoskos, unless I really want to get the rumor mill going." Maids, Gunter screamed in his mind. The last of his pride shriveled up and died as unmanly tears rolled down his face.

"Princess why didn't you come to me sooner," Gunter whined pathetically.

"Well," Greta stared warily at the weeping man, "I was afraid you'd start crying. Ah maybe I'd better go?"

"No, no. Please I want to assist in anyway I can." Gunter certainly didn't want the princess to think any less of him than she already did.

"Well," she started, still a little unsure if it was a wise choice talking to Gunter, "Something isn't right…with Wolfram," she paused, waiting to see how Gunter reacted. If he tried to comfort her as though she were still a baby, she would leave and hope Anissina or someone else became available.

"Hum," Gunter studied the princess, it was clear that she was serious but then again she might be overreacting, "What makes you say that?" Greta let a small sigh of relief out; he wasn't dismissing her concerns outright.

"I got a letter from him yesterday," concern laced her voice which further confused Gunter.

"Pardon me, but isn't that a good thing?" Usually when Greta got a letter no matter the sender she'd run around showing it to any one she could.

"Yes… but no." Greta shook her head slightly and slumped unladylike into one of the library's plush arm chairs.

"I'm sorry I don't really understand." Watching the pouting princess reminded Gunter of a sulking Wolfram when the brat really was just a child. He didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing that the former prince had rubbed off so much on Heika's daughter.

"Usually he only sends letters if something important or interesting happens. He always says it's a waste of resources to document every dip in the road. But all he did was talk about the scenery and tell me how much he misses me."

"Hum I admit that's a bit out of character, but why do you think that means something is wrong with him? Perhaps he's just a bit out of sorts considering the situation in which he left?" Gunter could tell he'd said something wrong when Greta turned angry eyes on him; Wolfram had defiantly rubbed off on the girl.

"Out of sorts?! Lord Christ, Yuri ditched him _publicly_! He should be furious not rambling on about how lovely the landscape is! It's _weird_!" The words were so similar to what Gwendal had said shortly after Wolfram's departure that Gunter wondered if it wasn't only Celi's youngest son that was rubbing off on the princess.

"Princess! I understand it's abnormal but how does that mean something is wrong with him? Everyone deals with depression in their own way, perhaps this is simply Lord Bielefeld's way of coping?"

"But that's not all! I made Yuri show me a map of the route they were going right after they left. The town Wolfram sent the letter from wasn't nearly as far away as it should have been."

"Perhaps Geika doesn't wish to travel in a rush; he is in charge of the expedition." To himself Gunter had to admit it was hard to imagine the feisty blond not traveling at full speed whether or not Murata wanted too.

"Gunter," Greta couldn't keep some of the whine out of her voice, "They were only in Jali when he sent the letter."

"But that's should only take a week or so to reach." Gunter began to understand Greta's concern if this information was correct then Wolfram and Murata had to be traveling at less than half standard military speed.

"That's why I think something's wrong. It was bad enough that Papa was rambling on but when I realized how slow they must be going I got worried. I just don't know what to do about it."

"Hum," Gunter puzzled over the best course of action, "We could send a pigeon to Lord Bielefeld, but I sincerely doubt he would inform us if anything was wrong."

"Oh hey, you could send one to Uncle Ken! I bet if there is something wrong he already knows about it." Greta bounced, happy to have thought up a solution.

"Wonderful idea Princess, I'll get right on that!"

"Thanks Gunter!" On a whim of cheerfulness, Greta hugged Gunter playfully.

"You're quite welcome," being hugged in such a manner reminded Gunter of the days when Gisela was more his daughter and less a woman to be feared, "If there is anything else you need just let me know." The moment ended and Greta stood back from the hug a bit awkwardly. She turned and started for the door, waving a cheerful goodbye to Gunter, glad to know that there was another adult she could come to if she needed help. However just before she exited she paused and turned back to Gunter.

"There was one more thing. I was just going to look it up later but…" She trailed off reluctantly.

"Yes Princess?" Gunter leaned forward, eager to help Heika's daughter with another problem.

"Do Mazoku go crazy like humans do?" Greta blurted out her question in one breath.

"I'm sorry," Gunter looked clearly confused, "I'm not sure what you're talking about."

"You know seeing strange things, hearing voices… talking to themselves." Gunter couldn't help but think the question odd, but never the less he sought to answer to the best of his ability.

"Oh well yes those are some of the warning signs of mental illness among Mazoku as well. Was there any particular reason you asked?"

"Well you know how I get up pretty early, like before a lot of people are up?" Gunter nodded, "And you know how from my room to the kitchen I pass by Yuri's room?" Gunter nodded again, shaking off a feeling of foreboding, "Well lately sometimes when I pass by Yuri's room early in the morning I hear him… talking but there's no one else in the room. I can't ever make out what he says but it's defiantly his voice. And when I ask him about it he just laughs it off and says he must be talking in his sleep. What do you think?" Greta who had been pacing a bit while she spoke, turned and looked at the now silent Gunter. The sun only served to accentuate the gray pallor Gunter's skin had taken on as well as the whites of his eyes that glistened with tears once again. She barely had time to close the door before he let out a loud wail.

"HEEEEEEEEIKAAAAAAAAA!!" Clearly it had been a bad choice to tell Gunter about her concerns. With a roll of her eyes, the princess went in search of her papa in order to warn him of Gunter's panicked state.

*****

A shiver of fear raced down Yuri's spine at the strange wail that echoed through the castle walls moments after he entered his bath to clean up from his jog. He knew that he should probably make some sort attempt at escaping the area and there by making it harder for the source of that wail to find him; however, he just couldn't summon the energy.

About a week after Wolfram left, Gwendal lowered his paperwork load from monstrous to merely migraine inducing. The workload was still more than double what it used to be, but Yuri couldn't bring himself to complain. He could only imagine what Shori would do to someone who had done to Yuri what he had done to Wolfram. Conrad was speaking to him again as something other than a soldier, but still it was strained and left him feeling like a jerk. Greta seemed to be taking the situation with little outright anger towards him, but he could feel the weight of her disappointment and sadness.

Gisela… well he preferred not to think about the healer for the sake of his own sanity. While Gunter wasn't mad at him, the advisor had taken this as an opportunity to go over every known courting custom and sexual practice ever known. Since Greta had informed Yuri of the relationship between two of his advisors, Yuri had begun to wonder if the lessons weren't part of Gwendal's revenge. Even the castle staff seemed to be against him, thought he rationed that mostly they were just enjoying the thrill of new gossip.

With the overabundance of feelings from the castle residents overwhelming him, Yuri hadn't really had time to figure out how he felt about everything. Now as he shucked off the rough sweat-like outfit he'd had made for his workouts, Yuri tried to wrap his thoughts around his Wolfram-less state. He had to admit that for the first few days he had slept better than he had in years, no abrupt fists to the face to wake him up. Yet as the nights wore on his dreams returned and none of them had happy endings, even if it was clear some of them were more than arousing in parts. Each night he awoke covered in sweat and other bodily fluids with the ever-growing sense of dread in his heart.

Towel firmly tied about his waist, in case someone decided to barge in on him in the baths again, Yuri turned to approach the edge of the bath. He could actually remember some flashes from the dreams now, but the Maou would have been hard pressed to call it an improvement. Tantalizing expanses of creamy skin from an owner he couldn't identify lay out before the Maou's eyes, flushed with sex and excitement one moment, torn open and drenched in blood the next. He tried to tell himself that dreams were just the manifestation of concerns and desires being dealt with by his subconscious, but there was no denying the panic each dream left him drowning in.

And worse yet the last two mornings he'd awoken not only panicked, but furious as well. It was no secret that in his younger years on Earth, Yuri had something of a temper problem no matter the triviality of the issue. Yet in his time in Shin Makoku he rarely felt much intense anger outside of the acts of outright injustice that sent him in to what Greta had deemed 'Maou-mode'. Yuri had simply chalked it up to the oddity of the situation he'd been placed in to begin with and maturity as time passed. But in the pale morning light Yuri had found himself shaking with a rage he couldn't identify the cause of.

Steam rose up invitingly from the bath as Yuri lowered his tan frame down into the water with a melancholy sigh. Yuri wanted to laugh off the unease of the last few weeks but it seemed to be increasing uncomfortably. With one last sigh Yuri let the warmth of the water seep into his skin and relax his muscles. He didn't even notice when he began to drift off.

*****

The forbidden boxes glowed ominously in the near total darkness of Shinou's Temple. Neither the old king nor his priestess were anywhere in sight. Yuri knew he was dreaming, while the boxes still sat in the temple they hadn't shone with that sinister light since Soushu had been defeated. The light could only remind Yuri of how very close he came to losing himself and everyone he held dear in such a short time. Yet even as it pained him to look at them, he couldn't tear his eyes away.

"Yuri, sweet Yuri." A voice laced with femininity, malevolence, and mocking raced up his spine. The Maou tried to turn and locate the voice, but found himself locked in place. Unable to so much as rotate his eyes, Yuri forced himself to say calm with the knowledge that he was dreaming and dreams, no matter how scary, couldn't hurt anyone. The voice continued, "I'm so very glad you came to your senses and gave me back my prize." A sickening slurp punctuated the words, "It's just so sweet I can't resist." The implication grated on Yuri's nerves, he knew that he'd never give anything to someone who sounded so devious. "I've had many, so many," palpable pleasure radiated from the voice, "But this one is surely my," it paused dramatically, "Crowning achievement."

"What the hell are you talking about!" Yuri couldn't hold on to his calm and was shocked at his own words. He could sense that whatever this thing was it was behind him and he wanted nothing more than to turn around and face it.

"Mmm so it speaks, but words will do it no good, it's so weak." Again slurping punctuated the words. The sound brought to mind insects and rotting things.

"Whatever it is you're doing stop this instant!" Yuri's muscles strained and pulled against whatever force was keeping him still. Part of his mind screamed at him to stop struggling, that the scene playing out behind him was something his mind simply could not take. However, this being was doing something nefarious in his kingdom and he damn well wasn't going to stand for it.

"Hah why should I stop little boy? You stole my prize for a time but in the end I always get what's mine." A crunch this time and another sound that made Yuri's stomach drop, a weak pained gasp that was all too familiar. His eyes stopped seeing the temple around him as flashes of blue, gold, and green drown out his sight.

"You will stop! I am the Maou and you will not defy me!" Anger poured through Yuri's veins, how dare it hurt one of his people.

"Finally bringing You into this?" Yuri's vision cleared at the sound of yet another voice. Before him, seated on Hellfire in Frozen Land, a man appeared dressed in a familiar black uniform.

"Me," Yuri whispered, this man looked just as everyone described him when his power went out of control.

"You, me, us, we it's all the same," he shrugged apathetically before intently staring over Yuri's shoulder, "But what is to be done about that?"

"I have to stop it." Another crunch echoed in the room.

"You don't even know what it is. How can we stop it?" The darker Yuri looked sadly at the frozen Yuri.

"But you do, you know and we can!" Yuri begged despite the firm nature of his words.

"No, I've got a hunch and you don't want to know what I do. You made me separate and used him to keep it so. To know what I know you'd have to be me." His head shook sadly.

"Argh stop talking in circles! Tell me what I want to know, help me stop this!" Finally, the Maou Yuri rose and strolled over to stand in front of Yuri. Neither man could ignore the gory sounds whispering through the room.

"To do that, I'd be you and you'd be me and we'd be we. And nothing could undo that." Yuri would never have thought that he could look that menacing, but clearly he was mistaken.

"I… would it hurt?" He hated the weakness in his voice and cursed himself for asking such a selfish question.

"Growing hurts." Maou Yuri's eyes focused over his shoulder again, "But so does staying still."

"Could I stop," a pained and choked moan interrupted him, "That, oh god could I stop _that_?" Cat like eyes returned to stare into Yuri's desperate ones.

"Maybe," he paused thoughtfully, "At least we'd have a chance." If he'd had control of his body Yuri would have slumped forward in resignation.

"Then do it, any chance is better than none." Once the words left his mouth Yuri could see a faint grin on his almost twin's lips, just before the man stepped into him and his world lit up with pain. It wasn't what he'd expected; he'd anticipated something sharper, like broken bones and torn skin. Instead it felt like his skin, muscles, organs, bones were all being pulled apart like soft taffy, twisted and spun into something different yet so much the same. It could have gone on for seconds or years but when it stopped Yuri found himself on all fours on the temple's cold stone floors. The pain didn't truly leave him but rather lingered like the soreness from having run miles upon miles with weights tied to every limb. The ache of gaining strength rather than the sting of failure, shaking the Maou slowly rose to his feet and steeled his determination to turn and stop the god forsaken sounds coming from behind him. Twin columns of water twirled to life beside him, slowly forming ominous dragons ready to deliver justice. Yuri shoved aside the feeling of wonder finally really seeing the manifestations of his power created in his chest, and turned around.

The scene was worse than he'd imagined. A vision of nauseating white knelt on the floor. Stringy pallid hair cascaded down in patches to the floor, both hiding and displaying the woman's figure. A simple torn white dress clung to her emaciated body, slick and see through in rough splashes. Wide unseeing eyes bulged out of chalky skin as a colorless tongue licked pale yellow tinted lips. Sharp broken teeth offered a grin to the stunned Maou before spindly fingers brought a red bit of something to her mouth to be devoured. Each finger slipped in to her mouth to be slurped clean.

It wasn't till he had completely taken in the visage of the woman that Yuri's eyes could focus on the form spread at her knees. He'd never wanted to unsee something so badly before. A gold toped head rested against her knee, propped up at what had to be a painful angle. Steady streams of blood dripped from unusually pale lips and confused emerald eyes blinked unseeingly. Shreds of blue fabric lay torn away from the ruins of his chest. Ribs stood broken away from the organs they were meant to protect, or at least what was left of those organs. His heart beat frantically on display amidst the cavern that once held life supporting lungs. As the king watched the woman reached down to caress the pounding organ tenderly, despite the soundless scream that shone on her victim's face.

"Wolfram," Yuri whispered painfully around the urge to vomit.

"Is that it's name? It is so delicious," the words dripped like acid from the woman's lips.

"No, no, NO!!" Yuri felt his Maryoku surge as the water dragons raced towards the woman, his vision clouded with bloodlust for this monster that dared to hurt someone so dear to him.

It might have been the sound of rushing water that woke Yuri from his slumber, it might have been the crash of metal and wood as water dragons burst through the doors to his bath, it might have been his own voice screaming. But really it was none of these things; rather it was the sound of a cut off scream from a frighteningly familiar young girl's voice. Seconds passed as Yuri came to and stared at the splintered and drenched remains of the huge oak doors before the sound that had awoken him sunk home.

"GRETA!!"

*****

Wolfram knew he was about to do something stupid, epically stupid. Ever since he'd heard that woman spout off obvious untruths about his somewhat estranged older brother's men, Wolfram felt plagued by two different voices telling him what to do. One, which sounded remarkably like Gwendal, advised him to send word to Covenant Castle and let them take care of the situation. The other, much wimpier, voice all but pleaded with him to merit out justice to the jerks tarnishing Lord Weller's name. Unsurprisingly the wimpy voice was winning out, which could only lead to stupidity.

The town they were currently staying was the last town with in Shin Makoku's borders. Beyond those borders lay the Wasteland, thought the title was more dramatic than the reality. The Wasteland was simply a stretch of desert unclaimed by any of the major nations, as it held no valuable resources or strategic purposes. The only things that made the land notable was that the Double Black Trail ended somewhere in it and the annoying habit of being home to would be bandits.

It was this Wasteland that was likely hiding the men that had somehow acquired Conrart's uniforms. And, it was this Wasteland that Wolfram was readying to enter to beat the snot out of said men. If the blond had been in peak condition it wouldn't have been much of an issue, but in the past few weeks his condition had worsened. What Maryoku he still had was working feebly to repair the constant damage the Mausetot was causing to his lungs and the surrounding tissues. Without his flames to call, Wolfram had to rely on his physical strength, which failed randomly from coughing fits and sudden dizzy spells.

Well he'd told Gisela that he'd have his men report that he'd died fighting bandits, he might as well add some truth to the mix. Not that he planned on letting any two bit criminals finish him off, weak as a sand bear cub or not.

*****

AN: So who wants to kill me? Who wants to kill Yuri? Who wants to smack a little sense in to Wolfram? Who wants Murata and Shinou to have weird ghost sex…wait wrong story.


	23. Chapter 23

Rated M for foul language, alcohol usage, dark themes, and homosexual sex. If you are not mature enough to deal with these please turn back now.

Chapter 23

Murata wasn't sure if he should laugh or sigh. He'd always considered Shibuya to be something of an idealistic motivator, an unstoppable tidal wave of hope and naivety. But the sage never would have thought that the young king would ever be able to change someone with both Shinou's haughty arrogance and Rufus's steadfast determinism. Yet as he watched Wolfram examine the edge of his sword it was clear that Yuri had won over another to his optimistic and impractical ways. At least the blond had the sense to send a short letter to Covenant Castle explaining that they'd run into some ruffians and were going to 'take care of them'.

Centuries of hanging around would be heroes taught Murata to find out as much about a situation as possible before leaping it to it. Information tended to help keep down the possibility of dieing painfully; the death he didn't mind so much but the pain he could do without. Townspeople always provided a good source of information, especially when they wanted to complain about something. The men Wolfram was likely plotting the demise of were really nothing more than the average peanut gallery of those not disciplined enough for military service or scholarly appointment and without the desire to learn a trade skill. Undoubtedly, Wolfram's unit had dispatched several small bands such as this in the years after the Great War. Of course, that was before their commanding officer took to routinely spraying his handkerchief with blood every morning from coughing.

The double black wasn't sure what bothered him the most; watching yet another person waste away in front of his eyes or the fact that he couldn't come up with a decent plan to keep the stubborn prince alive. Sure, he had a few things in the works. Pestering Wolfram to write Greta often, the girl was smart for her age and just enough of a loud mouth to cause some uproar if she figured out something was wrong. Then there was alternately teasing and praising Wolfram's men, they both now respected him outside of the required deference for his position. While they couldn't break the oath he had figured out that they must have sworn, they just might play willing puppets to some of his machinations. And, he certainly couldn't forget the blond bombshell he was sure must be heading straight for Covenant Castle at that very moment. Shinou hadn't made Celi Maou for her looks and pedigree alone.

Yet not one of his plans had the power behind it to directly achieve his goal; get Yuri to propose to Wolfram again. Unfortunately, there was little else that presented itself as a viable option for keeping the blond alive. A method of removing the Mausetot from a person after it entered their system had never been discovered, despite the multitude of healers and scholars who had made attempts. Yuri was currently the most powerful Mazoku alive and his power had only been enough to remove the symptoms not the cause, engaging Wolfram to someone else would be a fruitless gesture. The whole mess frustrated Murata to no end, what good was centuries of knowledge if he couldn't keep one person from dieing.

"Ah Geika?" Simon ventured quietly, waving his hand as if to gain the sage's attention.

"Hum?" Murata lazily look up at the young soldier, still somewhat lost in his thoughts.

"Ah the captain was wondering if you wished to accompany us to breakfast before we head out." Murata looked from Simon to Wolfram who had begun sharpening his sword. Clearly, the 'captain' had made no such request.

"Of course of course, then we set out to capture a few ruffians," Murata let an artificially bright smile settle on his face.

"I'm sorry Geika…we?" the man looked scandalized at the thought of the Great Sage joining them. Wolfram stopped his motions and focused his hearing on the conversation without turning to face them.

"Well I can't let you guys have all the fun," Murata internally smirked at the man trying to come up with a polite way to insist he stayed safe at the inn they'd taken a room in after they arrived.

"But sir it's dangerous!" Simon fought the urge to scream when Murata simply looked at him innocently. The man turned to address Wolfram, "Captain you can't be considering allowing the Sage to chase bandits?"

"Hum," Wolfram glanced at Murata, "He's more than grown, and if he wants to watch us take out a few pests he's more than welcome to." Murata smiled at the look of astonishment on the younger soldier's face; clearly Wolfram's answer wasn't the expected one.

"Ah…As you say sir," Simon saluted quickly and scurried out of the room to inform Edward of the situation. After a few moments of silence, Murata turned to face Wolfram.

"You know I'm a bit disappointed," the double black lamented.

"About what," the statement was punctuated by the sound of Wolfram sheathing his sword.

"I figured you'd put up at least a token struggle to keep me away," Murata paused and affected an overly dramatic pose, "Here I thought with all the time we've spent together you cared, but you'll let me rush into danger so easily. You don't love me any more." The last was said with the accompaniment of fluttering eyelashes and a breathy sigh. Unfortunately it didn't get the rise out of the blond Murata had hoped for, weeks spent in near constant contact had dulled Wolfram to Murata's teasing.

"You know I'm only staying with you for the sake of the children," Wolfram deadpanned, "Plus what would you have done if I'd ordered you to stay here?"

"Pulled rank and came anyway, of course," a smile broke over Murata's face as he watched Wolfram shake his head and fight a grin of his own.

"Well I guess I saved us quite a bit of arguing didn't I?" Wolfram stood raising his arms over his head in a stretch.

"I suppose you did," Murata let his eyes follow Wolfram around the room unconsciously as the blond finished readying himself to go out. It was still a bit odd to see him out of his customary blue uniform and the dark green tunic over a flowing white shirt and rough brown leather breeches made him look more pirate than prince. The look suited him if one was to judge by the amount of men and women flirting with him during their journey.

Murata mused on the fact that he was watching a friend in such a casual moment. When he started this trip, he considered Wolfram an interesting diversion and saving the blond a worthy cause that needed to happen. Now as he observed Wolfram running his fingers through his hair he realized that he wanted the former prince to live simply because he would miss his company. It was odd to have a motivation that didn't have some sort of grand worldly purpose and as Wolfram turned to face him with an annoyed sigh, Murata realized that he really enjoyed doing something simply because he wanted to.

"Are you done staring into space yet?" Wolfram flicked a strand of hair out of his eyes irritated at its constant waves.

"Sure, sure just let me get my cloak. Wouldn't do for the populace to get in a stir over a little double black like me." Murata swept up his tan cloak and slid it on in a practiced motion.

"I don't see why you didn't dye it this time."

"Well not all of us look so damn good blond." Murata turned a cheeky grin to Wolfram before throwing up the hood to hide his hair.

"Jackass," Wolfram muttered while lightly tapping Murata on the shoulder with his fist. The two men ventured to the dining area in companionable silence.

*****

The simple wooden doors of Covenant Castle's infirmary loomed over Yuri as he paced a sharp line in front of them. Gisela forbid him from entering, claiming he'd distract her from doing what she needed to. He'd been waiting for information since he had scooped up his unconscious daughter from the half destroyed hall outside his bath and raced to the infirmary. She'd been so pale that Yuri ignored the looks he'd gotten from wearing only a towel. One brave maid risked his uncharacteristic anger to leave a set of his clothing on the floor near the door. It took a good ten minutes before Yuri more than glanced at the clothing, worried that Gisela would be ready for him to come in and he'd be unable to rush in as he clothed himself.

With a sigh and a slump of his shoulders, Yuri bent to pick up his uniform. He slipped the pants on under the towel aware of, but uncaring of the eyes poking around corners to look at him, modesty discarded in favor of efficiency. The shirt and shoes followed the quick adornment but he left the jacket on the ground. Yuri's mind raced. The image of Greta limp on the floor soaked and bleeding from a cut on her head haunted him. All he'd ever wanted from his Maryoku was to be able to protect his country and the people he loved, but instead he'd hurt his own child. The worst was that he remembered it.

He remembered the rush of power that bled into him when he called on it, water surged around him full of potential and ready to do as he bid. He remembered the anger pouring through his veins and into the water, churning the baths till white foam lay on the wild waves. He remembered the dream, the woman standing over Wolfram's broken body, his own double speaking to him. He remembered but he didn't understand.

It took him years to be able to move a single bucket's worth of water at will and now he could send the entire contents of the Royal bath flying like a battering ram with a single though, it just didn't make sense. And that dream, he couldn't figure it out. He'd always thought dreams were just his subconscious dealing with stress that he couldn't resolve in his waking hours. However, that dream was so real, was something happening to Wolfram, could he stop it? And who dreams of an alternate version of themselves offering power?

'You do apparently. And I take offense to the alternate version comment.' Yuri jumped and whirled around trying to figure out where the voice was coming from.

"Where the hell are you? Come out now!" Yuri hissed angrily to the empty hallway.

'I think we'd have some problems if I came out just now, it might kill us.' Yuri put his back to the wall, eyes darting back and forth rapidly.

"Is that a threat? I'm the king here you don't stand a chance!" Yuri fought the urge to panic, he hated fighting and fighting with his Maryoku so out of whack could be really dangerous to any bystanders that might show up.

'Oh please, unless you're more of a masochist than I know you are then I'm perfectly safe. I'm getting really sick of having this conversation.'

"Wait…that voice….you're…me?" Yuri let his voice drop to a soft whisper.

'Bingo, I'm the voice inside your head.' A shiver of unease raced down Yuri's spine, maybe he was going crazy. 'You wish, don't worry since you've finally decided to recognize me we'll start to merge like it should have been to begin with.'

"Wait so I'm going to start dealing justice and talking like something out of a bad period drama?" Yuri squawked half wondering if he'd fallen asleep waiting for Gisela.

'Hey am I doing that now?' Irritation rang through Yuri's head.

"Well no but that's what everybody says I do when I go all …well you."

'Ah well you get a little …carried away when it comes to matters of injustice.' Until that moment, Yuri didn't know that it was possible to hear a blush.

"Ah… never mind. What the hell was that dream? Why was Wolfram…ripped open like that? Who was that woman? Why can I use Maryoku like that?" Yuri hissed under his breath.

'Well you can use the Maryoku cause we're on speaking terms now, you'll have to get some training to be able to control it. I was using Wolfram's control but obviously we can't do that anymore. As for the rest… I dun know.'

"WHAT!" Yuri yelled, startling a maid passing thought the hallway. She gave Yuri a wide berth as she passed him before scurrying off, presumably to tell the rest of the castle that Yuri Heika was talking to himself. Yuri groaned before whispering, "What do you mean you don't know? Aren't you all knowing or something?"

'Hardly, we both hear, see, smell, touch, even taste the same things. I just interpret them a bit differently. What I can tell you is that something is not right with our pretty boy.' Yuri wanted to deny that he would ever consider Wolfram his pretty boy, but arguing with himself over a phrase, he knew he'd used to describe the blond on at least one occasion seemed foolish.

"Any idea what's wrong with him?"

'Well best I can tell…' The train of thought was cut off as a tired Gisela opened the infirmary door.

"Gisela! Is she ok?" Yuri asked, wringing his hands together nervously ashamed to admit that for a few moments he hadn't been focused on his daughter's well being.

"Well," Gisela sighed heavily, "She's pretty banged up, but nothing too serious. Unfortunately, since she's completely human I can't use Maryoku to heal her. I had to put a cast on her left arm, one of the bones has a hairline fracture, it's not fully broken but the cast will help it heal properly. Other than one gash on her forehead everything else is bumps and bruises." Yuri slumped to the floor from relief and guilt.

"Oh god, she'll be ok right?" Yuri half whispered wracked with remorse for even unintentionally, hurting his little girl.

"She'll have a wicked scar for a while, but she's young and it will fade with time. Besides she seemed pretty excited about having a battle scar to show off." Gisela shrugged, clearly accustomed to such behavior from her patients.

"Wait she's awake," Yuri jumped to his feet, "Can I see her, she's probably so mad at me I've got to apologize."

"Whoa Heika," Gisela put her hands up to ward off the eager Maou, "I gave her something to dull the pain and make her sleep while I closed the gash, she won't wake till sometime tomorrow morning."

"Oh… I see," Yuri visibly deflated some.

"Now Heika if you don't mind me asking," Gisela waited for Yuri to nod slightly in acknowledgement, "What in the name of Shinou's tomb were you thinking?!" The anger in her words made up for the lack of volume in her voice as she berated the Maou. "Was there some sort of water beetle that needed punishment? You're lucky, had Greta been standing closer to the door she could have been seriously hurt or worse." Yuri shrank back from her anger knowing she was perfectly right to be angry with him.

"Gods I know I…I… I was dreaming and there was this woman and she was hurting Wolfram and I was telling myself to stop her and I was so angry and the water just did what I wanted it too and I threw it at her but she was in my dream and it hit the doors instead and oh god Greta screamed and I ran out to her but she wasn't moving and I brought her here and now there's this voice…," Yuri rambled without taking a breath only to stop mid word as his other voice echoed in his head.

'Don't mention me, she can't hear me and it will only make her think you've come unhinged,' Yuri stared at Gisela opened mouth for a second processing his own advise, 'And for fuck's sake don't just stop talking like that she's getting suspicious.' Gisela's face narrowed the moment Yuri had spoken Wolfram's name.

"Something was hurting Wolfram in your dream Heika?" Gisela hoped Yuri would continue with that train of thought, perhaps asking her a question that would allow her to disclose Wolfram's condition without breaking her oath. All someone had to do was directly ask if she knew if there was something medically wrong with the blond.

"Yea I…at first I thought it was my…," he trailed off for a moment sheepishly before continuing, "Guilt at breaking the engagement, but now I'm not so sure."

"And what do you think now Heika?" Gisela fought not to seem too interested, knowing that the attention might scare off the non-confrontational man.

"I'm not sure yet. I think I'm going to have to do some researching or something, I can't let something like this happen again," Yuri's eyes held a faraway look that made him look more mature than his usual naïve stare, "Thank you for taking care of Greta, I'll be back to check on her please call me if she wakes sooner than expected." With that Yuri turned to leave only to be stopped by Gisela calling him.

"Heika!" Gisela watched him turn towards her, mentally willing him to ask about Wolfram's health.

"Yeah?" Yuri smiled at small sad smile mistakenly assuming that Gisela's worried look was for the situation with Greta.

"You know you can ask me anything right? And I'll answer you as honestly as I can."

"I do. Thank you Gisela, I don't know what we'd do with out you," Yuri offered one last smile before walking away. It wasn't until the Maou was out of her sight that Gisela choked down a yell and punched the infirmary door. Staring at the blood welling up from her knuckles, she could only sigh and wonder if Anissina was right in assuming all men were inherently morons.

*****

"So do we need to worry about sand bears?" Simon asked cheerfully as he rode next to his captain. They'd left the town less than an hour before and while there were few signs of plant life around nothing looked like he'd pictured a desert would look like from the descriptions Ryan told of the place he'd found his beloved sand bear.

"Ha hardly," Murata smiled over his shoulder at the soldier, "It's not that kind of desert we're headed into. We've got lots of cracked land and thorny dried up weeds in our immediate future, but not sand." Despite the sage's initial concerns, Wolfram condition had yet to hamper them in any way yet, of course they hadn't found their bandits yet. Surprisingly a few locals had heard the men talking during their meal and had actually volunteered to come along and offer some support. So, barring the possibility that those men might be bandits hoping to betray them, everything was going smoothly. It made Murata nervous, easy things usually did.

"Oye keep quiet, we'll be in the desert proper before too long. Its bad enough we've got no cover, we don't want to draw attention if they happen to be facing the other way." With a contained sigh, Wolfram turned his attention back the landscape around them, occasionally letting his eyes land on the men from the town. The pair of large brothers had insisted to be brought along on the adventure, claiming that some of the raiders had attacked their family farm. While they had plenty of muscle, it was clear to Wolfram's eyes that most of it had been gained from hard work in the fields than any sort of fighting. When they had asked to come along Wolfram nearly told them no, worried that they might be in league with the raiders, but once again he heard Yuri's voice whispering to him, this time telling him bare the weight of the consequences if he misjudged them.

The whole party came to a stop as Edward held up his hand warningly before pointing towards one of the few short mesas in the distance. It took a moment but shortly all the men saw what had caught the silent soldier's eye. A thin trail of white smoke rose up from behind the miniature mountain. Murata cursed under his breath as he saw it, things were coming together too easily. With a short discussion, it was decided that they would stick together and approach the landmark on foot once they got close to avoid being heard.

One hour later the mesa stood before them, taller than it had seemed but still shorter than some of the hills near Covenant Castle. They dismounted their horses and tied the reigns to stumpy would be trees that dotted the landscape. Wolfram beckoned towards Edward and whispered something into the man's ear that had him scurrying up the mesa ahead of the others. Surprisingly the man had little difficulty climbing the steep surface, each foot and hand landing securely as he moved. As his he cleared the edge, the others waited with baited breath when disappeared from sight. Movement caught Murata's eye from beside him, the two villagers seemed uncomfortable and mouthed an inquiry as to what the soldier was doing. Murata smiled before mouthing back that he was scouting.

After a tense minute, Edward appeared at the top of the mesa his hands formed signals that Wolfram and Simon clearly understood. Wolfram explained the situation to Murata while Simon informed the others. There was an obvious camp on the other side of the mountain, at least ten men were visible and judging from the number of tents there couldn't be more than twenty of them total. Edward was also sure these were the right raiders, though the others didn't know why he thought that. Wolfram signaled back to the expectant Edward and received quick nod in return.

"What's going on," one of the brothers whispered in a tiny voice that didn't suit his towering frame. Simon glanced at Wolfram for permission before answering in his own whispering voice.

"Edward's going to box them in."

"Then what," this time it was the other man who whispered his question.

"Then we subdue them," Wolfram whispered through a vicious looking grin.

*****

Dakauscus shifted uncomfortably as he stood outside the castle gates. Usually pulling guard duty at the gates was a relief to the bald man, glad to be out of the grasp of gossipy maids, wicked inventors, and Lord von Christ's personal brand of insanity. However, on that day it left him out of the loop on the well fare of the princess after the morning's terrifying events. He's have braved all the laundry wielding maids in the world to help the adorable princess. Instead, he was stuck watching for any uninvited guests, not that anyone had tried to attack the castle directly since Soushu.

He nearly fell over when he noticed a small party of people riding up the twisting road to the castle. They all wore cloaks and seemed to be in quite the hurry to arrive. Beads of sweat broke out on the soldier's brow as he hoped that they weren't there to cause trouble. As they arrived, the mounted riders towered over Dakauscus intimidating him. When the one in front pushed back their hood a sense of dread washed over him.

"Dakauscus be a dear and run tell our beloved Yuri Heika that I'm just dieing to see him," the person's voice rang out musically.

"Yes ma'am Lady Celi!!"

*****

AN: Ugh wanted to get to more action in this chapter but the pacing just wasn't right. On the bright side the next chapter should open up with some action. Real life has been kicking my ass but hey at least I got a chapter out?


	24. Chapter 24

Rated M for foul language, alcohol usage, dark themes, and homosexual sex. If you are not mature enough to deal with these please turn back now.

Chapter 24

A light breeze drifted across the desert carrying a turkey vulture silently over the makeshift raider camp set in the shadow of one of the few mesas in the area. The wind barely disturbed the hair on Edward's head as he lay face down on the top of the mesa. His head peaking over the edge just enough to take in the sight of a few unaware men hanging familiar looking tan uniforms on an improvised line between tent poles. With no water in sight, Edward assumed they were airing out the clothes in an attempt to lighten the stench that came with extended wear time of any outfit under the desert sun. It was easy to see how the uniforms could be taken as official wear of Lord Weller's men if one wasn't familiar with them. But to the eyes of someone who saw such uniforms day in and day out these were clearly knockoffs. Thoughts of fashion and treachery aside, Edward focused on the mission his captain gave him, box in the men. It was with a grin learned from his fiery leader that Edward summoned his Maryoku.

Even after all the centuries he'd lived it never failed to cause Murata amusement and awe when a skilled Mazoku let loose in their element. Of course Shin Makoku's general populace rarely witnessed anything more than simple harmless displays of Maryoku, so it was no surprise that the pair of men that had accompanied them looked ready to bolt as the ground started shaking. Judging from the shouts and screams from the raiders they weren't the only ones unprepared for such an event. In contrast Wolfram and Simon seemed deadly calm, faces drawn and ready for a fight. Suddenly Wolfram began running around the mesa, Simon hot on his heels. The ground's groaning drowning out heavy booted footsteps; they ran efficiently and were soon followed by the townsmen. Murata joined in at a much more sedate pace, mentally saddling himself with the role of look out. He didn't carry a sword and while he still remembered the art of the sword his current incarnation lacked the conditioning needed to be useful in a real fight, plus look outs got the best show.

As they rounded the side of the mesa a very different desert greeted their eyes. Jagged columns and spikes of dirt and rock jutted out from the desert floor in a loose circle around the camp. Even the smallest outshoot rose well over the head of the tallest of the men. As they ran along the outside of the rough wall a second row of spikes heaved themselves free of the ground leaving a passage barely wider than two men standing shoulder to shoulder. The strategy dawned on Murata almost instantly and he cursed while turning on a boost of speed till he was running along side the blond. Moving too quickly to speak, Murata settled a disapproving glare on Wolfram only to receive a grim smile in return. The men from the town looked confused but kept up easily, keeping them out of the loop on the tactics being used insured that any possible treachery would be more easily countered.

Once they stood about opposite the camp side of the mesa, Wolfram stopped abruptly and waved his hands toward the top of the mesa. Two walls now surrounded the camp, seemingly impenetrable till a section crumbled behind Wolfram opening them up to the desert. They darted out into the open while Wolfram once again waved towards the mesa's top.

"What the hell are we doing?!" one of the town's men yelled.

"Funneling them," Simon hissed. A distant rumble alerted the soldiers to the holes opening up along the inner wall.

"You," Wolfram pointed sharply at the men, "Use the rope we brought to tie them up once we knock them down. Geika feel like playing bait? Just remember if they get too close… run like hell," Murata blinked at him before rolling his eyes and stomping out a good distance from the opening. A quick flick of his hands sent back the hood of his cloak that had remained steadfastly atop his head. Wolfram and Simon ignored the gasps caused by the revelation of the double black's hair. The sound of running footsteps reached their ears and they readied for a fight on either side of the opening.

The first man through the hole scarcely had time to blink before Wolfram's booted foot connected solidly with his solar plexus effectively sending him crashing to the ground. The two men from town spent a few seconds simply staring at the blond man wondering how someone his size managed such a feat before scurrying to restrain the dazed raider. Murata had to admit Wolfram and his soldier were quite impressive, as each raider came out of the trap they saw Murata first and made to run at him only to be blindsided by one of the soldiers. Neither Wolfram nor Simon even had to draw their weapons till after they'd taken down a good number of men. It didn't take long for the trickle of men brave or foolish enough to rush into such an obvious trap to die down. On the bright side fifteen men sat tied on the ground in various states of consciousness, if Edward's estimation of the likely number of bandits was correct there could only be a handful left inside.

The ground lay still and unmoving as a silence fell over the desert. Wolfram instructed Murata and the townsmen to stand guard outside the opening in case any of them tried to make a break for it. Quietly the two soldiers crept into the narrow space between the two walls. Normally Wolfram would have sent fire balls down the corridor, clearing the way and inspiring some fear in the same action, but without use of his Maryoku they attempted stealth instead of pyrotechnics. Predictably they ran into two men lurking in the passage way hoping to turn the ambush back against them. One fell back sharply as the hilt of Simon's sword cracked into his jaw. The other managed a lucky punch to Wolfram's side before the blond managed to dislocate his knee with a decisive kick.

"Captain," Simon whispered quietly after knocking Wolfram's assailant out. Though he hid it well, Wolfram was already beginning to tire.

"I'm fine let's get these two outside," he muttered slightly out of breath. Sweat dripped down his brow as they drug the raiders back to the others to be trussed up. Once Murata and the townsmen had the men Wolfram led the way back into the trap. They reached the inner ring without further incident. No one jumped them as they entered but as trained soldiers they didn't dare let down their guard. Simon looked questioningly over to Wolfram making a few gestures till the blond gave him an affirmative nod. With his captain's permission Simon sheathed his sword and began chanting under his breath.

Wind swept into the camp, a simple breeze turned into an unusually strong dust devil. Clothes hung on lines ripped free dancing in the wind. The bandits' canvas tents strained against the pressure before giving in and coming loose. One man stood bewildered amongst the mess, he blinked dumbly at Wolfram and Simon before mutely raising his hands in surrender. The wind died down abruptly as Simon let go of his focus and used a discarded length of rope to tie the bandit's hands behind his back. Despite the lethargy pulling at his limbs, Wolfram stalked towards the man with menace in his steps.

"Well you're smarter than the rest," Wolfram's voice hissed with contained violence, "Was there anyone out of the camp today?" The man's eyes widened significantly, unlike most of his companions he'd tried military life before resorting to crime. One of his few fond memories from that time was the sight of a blond haired, green eyed officer demonstrating hand to hand techniques to a group of newly enlisted men. It had been particularly hot that day and the officer had stripped down to just his pants. And now that that same officer was staring him down; being intimidated by his walking wet dream left the man incapable of answering aside from raising his shoulders in confusion.

"Either way we've got the most of them Captain, it'll take them a while to regroup if they ever do."

"Hum I suppose you are correct," Wolfram muttered wearily, turning to inspect the now disheveled camp. Neither noticed the man behind a barrel of ale taking aim with a small crossbow, till a fist sized rock connected with the back of his head with a resounding thwack. Wolfram looked around and spotted Edward walking unsteadily towards them from the foot of the mesa.

"Did you just use your Maryoku to chunk a rock at him?" Wolfram asked incredulously, only to smirk when the brunette shook his head and pantomimed throwing; much like Yuri playing catch with Conrart. Snickering Simon tied up the newly unconscious man as well. The green haired soldier looked from his strained captain to his swaying cohort before sighing to himself and grabbing the unconscious under his arms to drag him out. Wolfram sent a weak glare his way before grabbing the arm of the surrendering man and frog marching him outside. Edward trailed after them, stumbling as though half asleep.

Murata nervously paced just outside of the opening in the wall, waiting for something bad to happen. The townsmen behaved themselves, guarding over the awakening captured bandits with the nervous stances of those unaccustomed to such situations. The thought of giving the men minor medals crossed the Sage's mind; Yuri would certainly enjoy the idea. Lost in his thoughts he almost missed the sound of approaching footsteps from the impromptu maze. Wolfram and his captive came through first, practically throwing the man he was holding onto the ground with the others. Simon followed suit and was just able to free his hands before Edward passed out into his arms. While most of them were surprised to say the least, Wolfram just shook his head and Murata recognized the symptoms of Maryoku depletion. Edward was lowered to the ground gently by a vaguely smiling Simon.

"Simon," Wolfram spoke surely despite the lethargy he was experiencing.

"Yes sir!" Simon knew better than to question his captain's health in front of hostile strangers but desperately wanted to.

"Go do one more sweep of the camp and see if you can grab some extra supplies so we can march these guys back to town," when Simon nodded Wolfram turned to one of the townsmen, "You go with him help him carry everything and see if you can find some more rope, the longer the lengths the better." Despite looking a bit apprehensive the man followed the green haired soldier into the camp silently. Wolfram moved around the captives, checking the knots and insuring that they had no chance of escape. Once done he allowed himself to sit next to his sleeping soldier.

"Wolfram?" Murata spoke while standing next to the spikes of dirt, the blond made a noncommittal noise and the Sage continued, "I must admit I'm surprised. It's well known your unit has some of the most elite Maryoku users but this," he gestured towards one of the spikes, "is absolutely astounding. I doubt even Lord Christ has this much Maryoku." A soft laugh escaped Wolfram's lips before he bothered to respond.

"Haven't you ever heard it's not how much you have but how you use it?"

"I have but usually only from under endowed men looking for a date." Another laugh followed Murata's joke.

"Be that as it may, it's a much truer statement in regards to manipulating the elements than the size of a man's equipment. My men know that a small amount of power used… creatively can win battles that sheer brute force cannot."

"But still this had to have required a ton of power," Murata wondered if Wolfram was merely trying to down play his men's abilities out of some sort of sense of modesty.

"Not as much as you are thinking," he seemed to debate with himself for a moment, "Try punching one."

"Excuse me?" Murata spoke before thinking and was treated to a small smirk from the pretty boy, "Oh fine, I'll … punch it." A sigh escaped Murata as he drew back his fist, fully prepared to berate the blond for being the cause of an aching hand. As his knuckles meet the surface he was surprised as the dirt crumbled and revealed that the solid looking spike was actually quite hollow.

"Usually if it looks solid enough no one is stupid enough to go charging head first into a bunch of rocks," Wolfram smiled fondly and wiped a trickle of sweat from his forehead all the while ignoring the shouts of complaint from the men so easily tricked by their ploy.

"Clever, they teach that during military training?"

"Hardly, Gunter was still teaching when they went through. He never was much of a fan of dirty tricks, no matter how effective. I picked up that tactic from some one I knew as a child and then passed it on to my men." A wistful smile spread over the blond's face.

"Ha I'd like to meet someone so devious," Murata repressed a smirk enjoying the sense of camaraderie he'd developed with Wolfram.

"Humph I'm sure he'd have loved your evil ways," Wolfram paused and lost his smile, "But he fell in battle years ago."

"The most entertaining ones have a habit of doing that," Murata didn't bother with the obligatory pity most would expect, he'd grown tired of giving and receiving it his first life.

"Hum, I guess they do." They sat in near silence for a few minutes, only occasionally disturbed by one of their captives shuffling about or making idiotic demands. The bandits learned to keep their mouths shut after one particularly annoying man pissed off Wolfram enough to earn a very detailed and gory threat.

Footsteps drew their attention back to the opening in the weak wall and Simon came into view carrying several canteens filled with water and the townsman laden with ropes and a stuffed rucksack rummaged from the camp.

"We got enough stuff that these guys shouldn't keel over before we make it back to town. Were we planning on heading out soon?" Simon trotted over to his captain.

"We'll wait till everyone's conscious then yes. We made good time and should be able to get back before the sun's been gone too long." Wolfram paused for a moment and looked towards the still sleeping Edward, "If he's not up with in the hour you'll need to give him a boost though. Do you have enough energy left to do a little healing?"

"No problem, heck I'm not even winded," a smile broke out on the soldier's face as he dodged a rock Wolfram chunked at him half heartedly.

Murata stared at the scene the two were making and was torn between amusement and dread; everything really was going too smoothly.

*****

Blood throbbed maddeningly through the veins that occupied the forehead of Shin Makoku's army commander. Not only was his too adorable to be mentioned niece in the infirmary due to the idiot Maou he spent half his day babysitting but he'd only just now been informed of his mother's return to Covenant Castle. She was already inside and presumably looking for Yuri. Gwendal wasn't sure if he wanted to find the errant Maou before Celi or help her locate him. There were a lot of things the former Maou would over look with out a thought, romantic betrayal and mistreating her family were not among them. By all estimations between cutting ties to Wolfram and injuring Greta, Yuri was up a lava creek on an ice raft.

It had been a close call for the unfortunate soldier who'd informed Gwendal of Celi's arrival and the poor kid might have died of sheer fright had the dark haired Mazoku not been in such a hurry to get things under control. He'd been knitting restlessly and had fully expected any knock on his door to be either Gunter coming to pester him out of his bad mood or an update on Greta. There weren't many willing to risk bothering the highly ranking man when the sound of knitting needles clicking together could be heard echoing from his office.

Hallways rushed past as his long legs carried him swiftly through the twisting corridors of the castle searching for the stunning blond of his mother's hair or the bold black silhouette of the Maou. He made sure to keep his ears open for any sounds that might indicate where either party was.

"L…l…lady Celi?!" a wimpy voice rang out from the library as Gwendal approached it. Cursing under his breath he broke out into a run for the last couple of yards hoping to prevent his mother from committing treason by killing Yuri, whether or not he deserved it.

"Oh Yuri darling it's so good to see you!" Celi's voice rang out as Gwendal burst through the doors. The scene wasn't quite what he'd expected. Yuri stood next to a table covered in open books and half filled pieces of parchment, Gunter fluttered nervously about clearly torn between his beloved Yuri and the woman he'd served under for the better part of a century, Raven stood quietly near the door either to stay out of the way or prevent Yuri from escaping and Celi… Celi was where she always was in any room, the center of attention. A sinfully red scrap of a dress hugged her curves, showing off even more of her perfect skin than even her normal attire dared to, part of her enormous volume of hair was swept up in a intricate knot at the back of her head, and she'd even traded her normally killer heels for a complicated pair of spike heeled sandals that laced all the way up past her knees. She looked as the men and women of the court had always referred to her at her most dangerous, like sex on legs.

"A…ah… you too?" Yuri's stuttering became more pronounced, but from fear rather than lust. Something in the way Celi was acting clicked in Gwendal's brain and damn near shut it down leaving the man momentarily unable to move.

"Excellent honey, a little birdy told me you put yourself back on the bachelor's market, any truth to it?" Celi all but dripped sugar being sure to lean forward nearly letting her cleavage pop free of the dress's confines.

"Ahhhhh you ah see I…. Wolfram… I .. ah Yes?" Yuri maintained a deer in the headlights look even as he seemed to have trouble processing what was going on around him. A voice in his head echoing curse words a mile a minute.

"Hum I never thought I'd hear that," Celi pursed her lips in pout that could send grown men to their knees before smiling just as destructively, "You know there's something I've wanted to do for so long." Sweat rolled down Yuri's spine as Celi stalked predatorily towards him.

"Wha… what?" Yuri's panic and his mother's movement sent a sound like flint against iron ringing though Gwendal's mind as he tried to recover the sense to act.

"You know," Celi rounded the table and stood an arm's length away from Yuri, "I've always had a thing for," she raised her left hand to delicately cup Yuri's cheek, stunning the Maou into silence and immobility, "Double Blacks." Gwendal watched in horror as Celi's right hand flew back in preparation for a strike. Memories of the other times he'd seen her strike men rushed into his head, Lord Weller and Lord Bielefeld, his step fathers.

"Mother! NO!!" even as he rushed to restrain her, she let her hand fly solidly striking the Maou.

****

(A few minutes prior)

"God will you shut up already!" Yuri hissed in frustration as he drug out a few more texts from the libraries stacks. The part of his brain that he was starting to believe must have been damaged at some point would not stop complaining about having been repressed for so long. A familiar cry of 'Bad Omen' echoed outside, unnoticed by the Maou.

'Ha fat chance! Oh grab that one the title looks useful.' The mentioned book was added to the small pile resting on a foot stool.

"Fine if you insist on running commentary tell me what you think is going on. What's wrong with Wolfram? Why's my Maryoku gone haywire? And why in Shinou's name am I suddenly multiple personality man?" Yuri grunted as he lifted the pile of books and carried them to an empty table.

'Suddenly? Don't lie to yourself… it's a bad habit. I've been around most of your life; of course you didn't always fight so hard to keep me separate. Ever since you hit your teens you've been shoving down any emotions that weren't happiness and light. All that anger, wariness, and lust had to go somewhere.'

"So you're saying I'm schizophrenic? Isn't that just great!" Yuri flung his hands up in exasperation.

'So melodramatic, we're not insane,' a contemplative pause, 'Well I don't think we are. I didn't have an awareness of my own till that first fight with Wolfram after you proposed to him.' If the voice in Yuri's head had a chin it would be rubbing it studiously. 'Before I slipped out quite a bit more, we used to get in more fights defending something or another,' nostalgia tinged the words.

"Ugh don't remind me. But why would getting engaged make me have a split personality?" Absentmindedly he opened one of the books and started skimming the pages, not really sure of what he was looking for.

'I'm no psychiatrist, but I'd guess it has something to do with the massive amounts of energy we've been dumping into him. And you know the control I've been borrowing from him. He seems like such a hot head but really if he didn't have such rigid control he'd have already burned down the castle a hundred times over.'

"Wait dumping energy into him?" Yuri opened another book without bothering to close the previous.

'Well yea, really it's been a pretty good deal. As you've noticed we pack quite a punch involuntarily without him. I still don't understand why you went and broke off the engagement.'

"What!" Yuri squeaked, "He's a guy!"

'And?'

"_And?!_ And he's a GUY!" Black covered arms flapped around animatedly as if to make a point.

'Yea that whole lying to yourself thing, I live in side your head. The boy thing, not such an issue.'

"….I think I liked you better before you started talking to me." Yuri flopped down in his chair and buried his head in his hands

'I'm sure you did,' the echo of a grin fluttered through the Maou's head, 'Then I couldn't remind you about the way his muscles play under his skin or how he swings his hips when he's been riding a lot or how wet his lips are after a kiss.'

"Hey! That's in the do not even think about box!" The echo of his own outraged voice caused Yuri to duck his head, "….Besides it was Shinou in Wolfram's body when the ….kiss happened. And that's not the point any way; even if I think Wolfram is ….cute."

'Hot.'

"….Attractive. Something's wrong with him and we need to figure out what." His fist connected with the surface of the desk to emphasize his point.

'Well what ever it is it's burning up his own energy fast as can be. Thus why he needs ours.'

"That makes sense, but what could cause something like that," a frustrated hum passed his lips, "Ah a curse? Or maybe he's sick? But his family would know about something like that right?"

'Hum… maybe. He does like to play things pretty close to his chest, assuming he knows that something is wrong. Are you actually reading anything in those books?'

"Ah no?" Yuri stared at the pile of opened books and felt a drop of sweat roll down the back of his neck thinking about Gunter's reaction to seeing him mistreating the most likely rare manuscripts in such a way.

'Don't think about him! He's like some sort of curse that latches on us when you think about him.'

"Don't be silly. Oh plus he's like a walking encyclopedia, I'll just ask him about stuff that could drain someone's energy. And if he doesn't know anything I'll ask Gisela, she is a doc," Yuri's thought was cut off by a wailing coming from outside the library.

"HEIKA!!"

'A curse I say.' The library doors flew open and Gunter came in, hair flying about dramatically.

"Oh Heika you must be careful I just received word Lady Celi has returned from her cruise!"

"What?!" an unmanly squeak escaped Yuri.

'Shit, shit, shit. Run, for god's sake run. She'll castrate us for what you did and I'm not ready to be a eunuch!' Before Yuri had time to make his body move, a flash of red and blond drew his eyes to the door.

"L…l…lady Celi?!" Panic gripped the Maou, disabling his ability to think let alone act.

"Oh Yuri darling it's so good to see you!" Her voice sent shivers of fear up his spine.

"A…ah… you too?"

'Smooth real smooth, good bye manly bits I'll miss you.' Yuri desperately hoped that somehow Celi hadn't already heard about the engagement fiasco.

"Excellent honey, a little birdy told me you put yourself back on the bachelor's market, any truth to it?"

'SHIT!'

"Ahhhhh you ah see I…. Wolfram… I .. ah Yes?" Yuri tried to make words come out that would some how fix everything, he wasn't succeeding.

"Hum I never thought I'd hear that. You know there's something I've wanted to do for so long."

"Wha… what?" Pure shock was the only thing keeping Yuri from fleeing.

"You know, I've always had a thing for Double Blacks." Warning bells rang in Yuri's head as he watched Celi's hand fly back.

"Mother! NO!!" Gwendal's yell was drowned out by the resounding crunch that followed Celi's balled fist connecting with Yuri's nose.

No one spoke as Yuri went crashing to the floor and blood started to flow out of the Maou's broken nose. Celi took a step towards him and suddenly every one broke out of the shock of watching the former Maou physically assault the current Maou.

"Mother what in the name of Shinou are you thinking!" Gwendal yelled only to cringe when Celi turned angrily to face him.

"Damn Shinou and this boy king to the seven hells. I did what he asked," she turned back to Yuri, "I made sure my baby boy ended up chained to… to _him_. And my baby's still going to die because this fool can't stomach the thought of marrying a man!"

*****

It took less than an hour for Edward to regain consciousness and Wolfram's party set out back toward the town, captives tied together in a line. The two townsmen were whispering furiously at each other, glancing back at the still hood-less Murata every so often. Murata would have been more worried but the taller one blushed furiously every time their eyes met. Really it was flattering even if he had no intention what so ever of humoring the man.

"Like flies to honey eh?" Wolfram stage whispered to the double black, clearly amused by the attraction.

"Ha ha that's so funny I forgot to laugh," at the odd look he received Murata just shook his head. "So how long till we pick up the horses?"

"Not long, it'll do Edward good to get on one; he's still more drained than I'm comfortable with." A smile worked its way across Murata's face, even as exhausted as Wolfram was he was still concerned about his men first.

"You're not looking so good yourself."

"Hum, but that can't really be helped can it?" Murata opened his mouth to respond when Simon stopped abruptly and stared behind them.

"Ah Geika, Captain what is that?!" the green haired man's voice sounded near panic. In the desert that they had just crossed a tan cloud rose up from the floor accompanied by a soft but growing roar.

"A…. sand storm?!" Murata managed to speak.

"I thought you said it wasn't that kind of desert!" The captives had also noticed the phenomenon and were pulling against their ropes, trying to get free.

"It's not! Run!" At the Sage's command every one broke in to a sprint, the sound of the storm growing faster than they could move. Simon and Edward were at the front holding the ropes that connected the captives, the two townsmen near the middle, and Murata and Wolfram bringing up the rear.

In the den of thunderous noise some how Murata heard the sound of wet coughing and turned his head to see Wolfram on his knees, blood splattering the ground. He made the decision instantly and ran back and grabbed the blond, forcibly dragging him along. But the back tracking had cost him and with in moments the storm was upon them, swallowing them up completely. Simon glanced back just in time to see the white's of Murata's eyes before they disappeared.

The storm stopped as suddenly as it had started leaving the desert eerily quiet. Simon's eyes frantically swept the area, looking for his captain and the Sage.

"Captain?" he whispered distraught. There was no sign of either man, "CAPTAIN!"

*****

AN: Ha just when it looks like Yuri's getting a clue, Wolfram goes missing! I really hate writing fights, yea. Oh and there is a very vague illusion to a scene from one of the Dark Swan novels, the original made me laugh so hard I had to include something like it in this. Anybody ready to kill me?


	25. Chapter 25

Rated M for foul language, alcohol usage, dark themes, and homosexual sex. If you are not mature enough to deal with these please turn back now.

Chapter 25

Dawn crept upon the desert as a single figure trudged along, scanning the landscape for signs of life other than birds of prey and the small rodents they hunted. He'd been walking the entirety of the night and much of the day before it. Yet as the sun rose to warm the chilled desert the man was unable to fight his body's need to rest and he sat heavily on the cracked ground.

"Captain, where in Shinou's name are you?" Simon breathed in the dry air and cursed the unforgiving land that had consumed every trace of his captain and the Great Sage. After the dust had fully settled from the freak storm, Simon had taken charge. He'd ordered Edward to continue escorting the prisoners into town despite the silent man's adamant protests. Once the rest of the party was on their way, Simon started combing the desert in widening circles out from the place the storm hit them. He prayed to anyone one that would listen that he's find the missing men alive but he knew in his heart that he was more likely looking for their bodies. What he didn't expect was to find nothing, even the sand that had so furiously attacked them seemed to evaporate into the hardened dirt under his feet.

Questions plagued the green haired man as he sat staring into the wasteland. How could a sand storm swallow up two grown men and leave no trace of having ever occurred? Was this the work of some rouge earth moving Mazoku? How the hell was he going to tell Lord Voltaire, Lord Weller and Lady Celi that a freak storm took Wolfram? Worse yet, would Shinou order him killed for loosing both his descendent and the Great Sage? With a panicked look that was wasted on the vultures now circling him, Simon leveraged himself up and started back to the town. Negative ramifications or not the information needed to be passed on to Covenant castle. He could only wonder how Yuri Heika would react to the news.

*****

"Whad too yew bean Wobfwam gonna die?!" Blood and pain distorted Yuri's words as he stared up at a fuming Celi. Blood still flowing from his broken nose, he regretted speaking as she turned her vicious stare back at him.

"Exactly what I said, you and your stupid ideas on who can marry who have sentenced my baby to death."

"Now Lady Celi," Gunter spoke while glancing about the room nervously, "I understand you're upset, but why do you think Lord Bielefeld is in any danger?" Celi turned to face the second oldest person in the room with a glare still on her face.

"Tell me Lord Christ, if Shinou himself came to you and told you that Gisela would die unless she married some one who refused to marry her wouldn't you believe she was in danger?"

"Shinou!" Gwendal shouted finally snapping out of the shock that had held him silent and still once his mother began shouting about his littlest brother dieing. "Shinou told you something was going to happen to Wolfram and you didn't tell us?" Anger and a touch of betrayal laced his words.

"Gwen-y," some of the anger seeped out of Celi as she looked at her first born, "I would have but he told me that the less people who knew the better chance things had of working out." Now that the anger was fading moisture began to form in Celi's eyes even as she fought to contain her tears.

"Teli," Yuri started to speak before a loud crack and a wave of pain flooded his senses. The others turned to stare at the Maou as the bones in his nose seemed to rearrange themselves.

"Healing maryoku," Gunter gasped; he'd seen Gisela's wounds heal similarly when she'd started training as a medic but his beloved Maou had never shown so much aptitude for self healing.

"Shit," Yuri moaned pitifully, "What the hell?"

'Stop whining! Celi knows something about what's going on with our Wolf. I fixed your nose so you can ask her about it so ask damn it ask!' The voice in Yuri's head was back with a vengeance.

"Celi what's wrong with Wolfram?" For a moment it looked like she might not respond as she gathered her anger around her like a cape to ward off the sadness in her eyes, so Yuri added, "Please Celi no matter what's happened between us I still care about him deeply and 'can't bear the thought of life without him.'" If Yuri could have stared at his own mouth in shock he would have. He'd intended to say that Wolfram was his best friend but instead those other words had come out.

'It's the truth whether you wanted to admit it or not, I just helped you get the right words out.'

"I…," Celi stared at Yuri for a moment also shocked at his words, "I don't know," she admitted defeated, "I was only told that he would die not how."

"Mother perhaps it might be best if you told us exactly what happen when … Shinou Heika came to you," Gwendal's voice seemed steady but those who knew him could see the tell tale twitching of his hands that gave away his distressed state.

"Yes, you're right," and with an unsteady sigh Celi began to speak of the night Shinou visited her.

*****

A cold chill swept through the halls of Covenant Castle, moonlight faintly illuminating them as most of the residents slept. The war had officially ended months ago but extra guards still roamed the grounds, ready in the event that the humans went against the unsteady peace. Inside the largest ballroom stood another person unable to sleep for her own reasons.

Celi stared out across the ballroom's dusty visage. During her reign as Maou there had been precious little to celebrate, and nothing grand enough to require the huge ballroom. When she'd been approached to become the Maou she's had visions of elaborate parties and entertaining visiting dignitaries, instead she got bloodshed and three sons waging war.

It haunted her to think about the things her boys had seen and worse the things they had done in her name. Stoffel liked to say that he was trying to shield her from all the horrors of the war and now that it was over she was still finding out so many of those horrors were ones instigated by her brother. Her blood ran cold even thinking about the orders he'd given directly to her sons, his nephews. The boys would never tell her but slowly Raven was breaking the stories to her. All these things together left very little in the chances for sleep uninterrupted by nightmares.

It was one of these blood soaked dreams that had chased Celi from her bed and into the most deserted room she could think of. She had paced the room in lazy circles and told her self that she was practicing long unused dance steps till exhaustion tugged at her heels. With one last lingering look at the unused dance floor she turned to return to her rooms. She wasn't sure why but the figure standing by the door way didn't surprise her. Seemingly basking in the moonbeams stood Shinou Heika dressed in the formal attire most of his subjects knew him for.

"Shinou," Celi breathed out. She could pratically hear the young Lord Christ bemoaning her lack of title usage with the first Maou. But using a formal title for the man she'd spent more than a decade half cursing for making her Maou seemed pointless.

"My dear Cecilie it warms my heart to see such beauty as yours this dreary evening," a smirk played at the corner of his mouth when Celi only frowned in response. "Now now my dear such an expression is a waste on your face. Are you truly that unhappy to see me?" A flash of indecision appeared on Celi's face before she sighed and shook her head.

"Of course not but you must admit your presence is unusual and therefore alarming." The few occasions Celi had been witness to Shinou had left her wary of the spirit that had deemed her to be Maou.

"Hum, perhaps I should make myself more personable then?" before Celi had a chance to respond Shinou unclasped the tie of his fur lined cape and draped the heavy materiel over a creaking table before seating himself casually in one of the accompanying chairs. "See now, not nearly as alarming this way." Celi didn't trust herself to speak because even seated he emanated an aura of power and attentiveness. "You must be curious as to why I've come all the way here when it would have been much simpler to have called you to my temple."

"The thought had crossed my mind." Celi stood ramrod straight as his eyes seemed to trace every little movement she made.

"Now my sweet descendent, you are so on edge. Please take a seat, let us speak like equals." Fear shot through Celi, having a near deity try to treat her as an equal was hardly reassuring, yet she did as he instructed, taking the chair opposite him. "Excellent, now then, why not simply summon you? Well simply put my shrine maidens are a curious type and would undoubtedly pestered me till I let them in on the what's and why's of our chat. And some issues are best left to those with the most invested in them, don't you agree?" Shinou inclined his head curiously.

"I, yes I suppose that is best." Celi's nerves were nearly shot trying to figure out what the confusing man was trying to hint at.

"So glad we understand each other. You know you have quite the family," he smirked again at the panic in Celi's eyes, "That Voltaire is quite the military man, it's been quite some time since I've seen one with such an eye for strategy. And Weller that one fights as though his sword is an extension of his arm. As for Bielefeld, he's quite the heart breaker just like his pretty mother."

"Shinou," Celi hissed, "My sons aside why are you here?"

"Oh, so direct, I enjoy it. Unfortunately I can't simply set your boys aside, you see they are very important to Shin Makoku's future." Blood pounded through Celi's head till she felt mildly faint but Shinou ignored her and continued speaking, "So you see I've got a keen interest in their survival. And my….sources," a dark tone entered his voice, "have informed me that certain things are turning in ways that go against my interests." Seeming to finally notice Celi's off behavior he spoke more plainly, "One of your sons is set to die much earlier than expected. Wolfram to be exact."

"No," Celi shook her head frantically, "No that can't be true! You're lying!"

"Calm down my dear, I'm not lying but I do have a bit of a plan. I'm not so cruel as to come to you with this news and not be prepared to change things. You see I've already found the Maou who will replace you; he will be powerful like nothing this land has seen in centuries. And if your precious little boy shares his marital bed and all that comes with it then he'll live as long as he is meant to. When your successor appears you must insure a proposal is issued to the young Bielefeld."

"How is marrying some stranger going to keep my Wolfie alive, why is he in danger anyway?"

"I don't think you are ready to hear the details, the situation would seem far too hopeless. It's better you concentrate on how to help your boy ensnare my soon to be Maou. Luckily the prince has a face charming enough to instill lust in the most innocent of men and women alike, perhaps all he'll need is a little more incentive?"

"Shinou I don't understand! Tell me what to do!" Celi pleaded.

"You will figure it out as the time draws near, but for now my time seems to be evaporating in the wind. Good night sweet Cecilie. Oh," Shinou paused as if he had forgotten something, "It's really best that we keep this between the two of us, I would hate to see well intentioned bystanders cause the end we both hope to avoid." And with those parting words Shinou's form blurred and dispersed into the air leaving Celi staring at the place he last stood. For a moment she wondered if she'd simply dozed off or hallucinated Shinou but the red cloak still draped over the table proved otherwise. Clutching the heavy fabric she stormed out of the ballroom heading for the library, determined to find some shred of information on how to convince, connive, or out right trick this unknown future Maou into marrying her baby boy.

*****

As Celi finished her story she looked around the same room she'd spent days in researching and eventually found a perfume maker's notes on emotional effects of certain plant fragrances. The others were struck silent for a moment; each coming to terms with Celi's scheming.

"You know," Celi spoke as though not entirely there, "It was sheer luck that Yuri Heika struck my Wolfie as he did."

'Yea luck,' Yuri heard rattle around in his head sarcastically even though the Maou couldn't think well enough to form words on his own. Celi's story left him with so many questions.

"But how is he going to… die and why would marrying Heika change that," Gunter voiced the question that was on all their minds while sneaking worried glances at his lover.

"I told you I don't know! Don't you think I'd have tried to change things more if I'd known!?" Celi's anger returned.

"I…," Yuri spoke uncertainly as all eyes turned towards him, "I… well um…"

'Oh for fuck's sake tell them, its better they think we've gone off the deep end than our Wolf die from simple lack of information.' Yuri steeled himself with the words from his other self, conveniently ignoring the 'our Wolf' comment.

"I think he's been siphoning off my energy," Yuri turned a near desperate look towards Gunter, "remember you told me that Mazoku share energy even while they are engaged. Now that we aren't… um… engaged any more I've got so much more energy but it's like none of it is under control. And … ah … this is gonna sound really crazy but um I am… ah… I can… well hear my other self in my head," Yuri finished the last bit with little to no pausing between words.

"…Heika is hearing voices?" Gunter spoke horrified and unable to keep the question to himself.

"Just one. You know how I never remember anything when I.." Yuri's words trailed off and he made a few wiggly hand motions, "You know. But now it's like the part of me that was conscious for that is now awake and well bitching at me for ending the engagement."

"… Heika with all due respect we don't have time to deal with your guilty manifestations. Wolfram is in grave danger and," Gwendal was cut off as Gunter squawked strangely.

"Shit," any attention that hadn't been drawn by the awkward sound snapped to Gunter as he issued the rare curse word, "Ah voices aside, Yuri Heika's theory may have some merit. I ah…" Gunter trailed off hesitantly and glanced nervously at his lover, "I witnessed the young Bielefeld have a bit of a weak spell shortly after the incident in his study. If he'd been using Heika's energy to survive and was suddenly deprived of it …" Gunter stopped unable to stand the glare he was receiving from the eyes that normally held love.

"But why would Wolfie even need Heika's energy, he's always had more than most," Celi pitched in.

"Maybe he's sick?" Yuri's voice wavered slightly.

"Surely he'd have told someone if something like that was wrong," Gunter spoke.

"No, no he wouldn't as much as he likes to complain he keeps his deepest fears to himself," Gwendal grumbled.

"Gisela!" Yuri piped up suddenly.

"What? Where?" Gunter asked while looking around to see if his daughter had entered the room.

"No she's not here but she's been acting strange ever since… you know. At first I just thought she was pissed off at me, but it's like she's been trying to draw me into conversation especially when it comes to Wolfram."

"They have been friends for years," Celi mused aloud, "And with her medical knowledge he might have gone to her if he started feeling sick. But why wouldn't she have told us about it?"

"I think we aught to ask her," when Yuri spoke the others were startled by the steel in his voice but followed him out of the room and towards the infirmary.

The clatter of hurried feet attracted the attention of the maids and guards alike but none of those looking for Gisela were bothered by it. By the time they reached the infirmary each was wound up tightly for their own reasons.

The commotion the caused did not go unnoticed by Gisela, the heavy thuds of Gwendal's boots and the echoing click clack of Celi's heels were hard to miss. She opened the door before anyone could knock fully prepared to violently chastise them for making such a racket near the resting place of the injured princess. The dour looks on their faces made her breath catch in her throat.

"Gisela do you know what's wrong with Wolfram?" Yuri stared at her, his face caught between pleading innocence and harsh demanding.

"Oh thank Shinou," tears welled up in the healer's eyes as she seemed to shrink in on herself. Her legs trembled and she had to grab a hold of the door frame to stay up right.

"Gisela!" Gunter cried worriedly.

"What's wrong," Celi's voiced wavered torn between concern for the woman who looked ready to faint and the strong desire to wring information out of her.

Gwendal simply stared at the scene, surprised enough by Gisela's reaction to have lost the slow anger that had been brewing in him. But despite all the people moving around her, Gisela's attention remained trained on Yuri as she spoke.

"Mausetot, he's been poisoned with Mausetot."

*****

AN: So finally Gisela gets to spill the beans…*sings* Where is Wolfram? Where is Wolfram? *cackles manically* Okay two things, this Shinou is still effected by Soushu

so he may seem, a bit more evil than normal. Also this update is a bit later than I wanted it to be due to a house flood don't you love flashfloods after droughts.


	26. Chapter 26

Rated M for foul language, alcohol usage, dark themes, and homosexual sex. If you are not mature enough to deal with these please turn back now.

Chapter 26

The air scarcely stirred in a small stone room lined with a simple dirt floor. A single candle flame wavered weakly, only just providing enough light to see the two rough wooden cots along the walls along with their unmoving occupants. One lay on his side, a simple cloak wrapped around his shoulders awkwardly as windblown black hair lay motionless across his forehead. The other lay flat on his back, his blond hair picking up even the tiniest traces of light and reflecting them back. No sounds came from inside the room, but a myriad of footsteps, voices, and rustling noises echoed from the outside.

Minutes passed slowly and wax pooled lazily about the candle's base. Finally after an eternity neither witnessed nor missed the room's heavy metal door creaked inwards slowly, allowing entrance to a slight young woman swathed in gauzy blue cloth, her modesty held in tact by the multitude of layers. Her hair tucked up neatly under a similarly gauzy head wrap that accentuated her luminous pale skin. Clutched tightly in her hands was a small bowl half filled with water. She stepped lightly, nervously, into the room her eyes darting between the two still figures landing all the more often on the blond.

The bowl was settled gently next to the candle, and with tense motions she pulled wooden spoon from one of the folds of her attire and perched on the edge of the dark haired man's bed. The spoon was dipped in to the bowl and hastily guided to the man's dry lips. Slowly she poured the liquid into his mouth tilting his head so that nothing had the chance to spill out. It took a few moments but eventually his throat worked, swallowing the mouthful. She repeated the motions mechanically several times before standing abruptly and turning to stare, awed at the blond man.

An occasional deep breath raised his chest and parted his pale lips, shaking lightly she treaded over to him. Her hand trembled as reached out to brush a few strands of golden hair away from his face. She drank in the sight of him eagerly, her wide innocent eyes unblinking. Moments passed before she shook her head as though to clear out unneeded thoughts. Delicately she balanced on the edge of his cot, barely touching its wooden frame. Again she dipped her spoon into the waning water in the bowl and brought it to the blond's lips, he swallowed the liquid without any difficulty and she allowed herself a small fleeting smile.

A few more mouthfuls and she lifted the near empty bowl to pour the last bit into his mouth. Yet instead of the placid sleeping face she expected, confused emerald eyes stared up at her. She shrieked and the bowl clattered to the floor as she jumped up.

"Murata", Wolfram asked in a daze as he stared at the woman's wide eyes, wide black eyes. His utterance seemed to upset the woman more and she dashed out of the room, dislodging her head covering and allowing her trailing wave of black hair to follow her out freely. The door slammed shut after she exited and a loud unintelligible ruckus started up outside.

Wolfram blinked into the dimness of the room, trying to figure out what had happened; last he remembered Murata was dragging him away from the sandstorm. That thought prompted him to sit up quickly and peer about the room till his eyes rested on still but breathing figure on the other cot. Once he was sure that Murata was at the very least alive, Wolfram took stock of himself. His clothes remained unchanged but all of his weapons were missing. He flushed with indignation that they had even managed to find the minuscule dagger he'd taken to keeping strapped to his inner thigh after having been disarmed once too often in Yuri's company.

Cursing under his breath Wolfram eased his legs over the side of the cot, annoyed at how stiff he felt. Taking care not to make any loud noises he crept over to Murata's side, casting furtive glances toward the door every so often. Up close, even in the dim light, Murata looked paler than usual and his eyes flicked around rapidly behind his closed eyes. Wolfram placed a hand near Murata's mouth ready to silence the man if he woke up loudly before shaking him gently with the other hand. The motion garnered no response nor did subsequent more violent shaking. Just as Wolfram leaned down to start hissing at Murata to wake up, the door opened with a loud bang.

Two men who could be nothing but guards entered the room. Each wore simple short pants made of a red gauzy material, and metallic bits around their forearms, shins and necks. But what drew Wolfram's attention were the short staves they carried, each toppedwith foot long gleaming black stone blades that matched the darkness of their eyes and hair. Even in the low light the men's muscles stood out in contrast, backing up the deadly promise of their weapons. Wolfram didn't dare fool himself that the situation looked anything but grim, especially once the men started shouting what sounded like orders in some vaguely familiar but incomprehensible language.

"Yua thiri du nut muvi!" The one speaking brandished his weapon as Wolfram stood to face his captors, determined not to die crouched over a cot. The man took a threatening step forward, setting off fight or flight alarm bells in Wolfram's combat trained mind. But before anything could escalate to a fight another voice rang out from the hall.

"Pieci, pieci ot woll du nu guud fur yua tu herm hom," the man speaking turned the corner and Wolfram couldn't help but stare. The man was almost seemed a shadow brought to life. Black cloth covered him head to toe, flowing merrily with each step. The guards stiffened into formal positions never letting their eyes leave Wolfram. For his part Wolfram struggled to think of something that he could use as a weapon, but aside from the rickety table and its candle nothing seemed viable and he highly doubted that the table would even buy him the time to get himself and the sage out of the room. The man in black stepped toward them hands raised so Wolfram got the first glimpse of pale skin under all that black.

"Pliesi ixcasi thi rethir ruagh wilcumi blund froind," the man started to speak but stopped once he realized that his words were not understood. Shaking his head in what seemed to be frustration he gripped the bottom of the veil covering his face and flipped it backwards. Wolfram couldn't contain a small gasp at the man's face. If Gunter had been there he would have extolled the man's resemblance to Yuri, but all Wolfram could see were the differences. The man's face had an open quality about it but instead of Yuri's lingering baby fat his was tone. They had the same eye shape, but were as Yuri's were always open in innocence, indignation, or shock this man's eyes seemed permanently half open and peaceful. The black hair framing his face hung smooth and glossy where as Yuri's coarser mane never quite could manage too look anything but ruffled. Unperturbed by Wolfram's obvious staring the man cleared his throat and spoke again.

"Please excuse the rather rough welcome blond friend; we've been waiting for you… Wolfram."

*****

Conrart stared at Yuri. The words coming out of the boy kings mouth weren't making sense, couldn't be making sense.

No less than three castle guards had come running to him with news of his mother's arrival, an apparent scuffle in the library, and his family storming towards the infirmary. He'd rushed to Gisela's domain unsure of what to expect, but had been shocked to see Gisela talking to Yuri, Celi, Gunter, and Gwendal with tears in her eyes. Gwendal had been pacing agitatedly, while Gunter stared between his lover and daughter with a horrified but awkward look. Celi wept openly next to Yuri, whose face looked as though he'd taken a baseball bat to the stomach.

Conrart looked from person to person pleading silently to know what was going on. Finally Yuri took a huge gulp of air and spoke. He spoke of an incident long ago, a human sorcerer that had attacked Wolfram and the poison the man had managed to force into the blond's lungs before he took his own life. He spoke of Shinou Heika visiting Celi with a dire warning. He spoke of Yuri's own energy keeping Wolfram alive and the current lack there off.

Conrart stared at Yuri. The words coming out of the boy kings mouth weren't making sense, couldn't be making sense. Because if they were that meant his baby brother was out there somewhere dieing.

Conrart didn't remember crossing the room, didn't remember wrapping his hands around Yuri's neck, but he did remember his anger as Yuri's eyes bulged obscenely out of his head.

"Conrad?" Yuri whispered worriedly, his godfather was staring at him vacantly with a murderous gleam about him. With a shake of his head Conrart seemed to come out of his murderous daydream.

"If everything you've said is true," Conrart pause and looked at the others who nodded their heads confirming Yuri's story, "Then he is in a great deal more danger out on his own than we could have imagined." As he finished speaking Gwendal turned angrily on Gisela.

"Why didn't you say anything?! Was it just not worth mentioning?!" his nostrils flared with the force of his breathing.

"What!! No! I couldn't he asked me to make a blood oath, I couldn't say anything unless someone asked me first! We… it's not curable! He didn't want anyone to pity or shun him when he was going to die anyway!" Gisela's voice warbled between anger and pleading.

"Why… surely you noticed when his symptoms went away why didn't he tell us then?" Celi spoke up, her words rough with tears.

"He didn't want to jinx it. It was clear enough that the new Maou didn't want to marry him, he didn't want to make it worse by telling everyone then having Yuri Hieka reject him."

"But for god's sake if I'd know what ending the engagement would do I'd never have done it, why didn't he tell me," Yuri pleaded.

"He…" Gisela shuddered and restrained a sob, "He didn't want you to be stuck in a marriage you didn't want."

"What! What was he thinking, his life means more to me than that. I'd rather have him alive and by my side forever than marry some woman while he…he's dead." Of everyone in the room Gunter was the only one clear headed enough to realize the importance of such a statement. He feared for the country when or if Wolfram passed, a Maou grieving for a lost love was not a pretty idea.

"Papa?" Greta's voice echoed confused from a side room Gisela had placed her in to rest. Immediately Gisela popped up as the others fell silent. She rushed over to the room and began soothing the princess. No one spoke till she returned looking more haggard than when she went in.

"I gave her another sedative, she still needs more sleep and she… she was asking what was going on. I … I don't know what to tell her." The occupants of the room watched her sit and put her face in her hands stifling a few sobs.

"Tell her," Yuri spoke as he stood the steel in his voice drawing all attention to him, "Tell her that her Papa Wolfram is coming back sooner than expected. We are going to find him and bring him back kicking and screaming if necessary. And as soon as I see him I'm going to slap the hell out him till he realizes how important he is to me and everyone here."

*****

Murata knew he was dreaming. There was no other option. He stood atop the hill where he'd first met Shinou, an abandoned book laying in the shade of his favorite tree. His hair was long again and no glasses adorned his face. The scene was familiar and crystal clear in his mind even with the weight of so many lifetimes of memories. At any moment he expected Shinou to stroll up to him and comment on his coloration. But the person who began approaching him wasn't the cocky young man he'd met so long ago. Instead it was a young boy, barely old enough to ride a horse on his own. His hair shone gold in the sun shine and a bright smile graced his delicate features. Confused he called out to the boy.

"You, who are you?" The boy didn't answer but continued climbing the hill. Strangely frustrated Murata waited for the boy to finish the climb while contemplating the weirdness of thinking like Murata Ken even thought he must look like the Great Sage. No matter what he'd never truly thought as one life while being another. Finally the boy reached the top panting lightly with a grin on his face. Murata spoke again.

"Who are you?" The boy's smile drooped into a sour look.

"Gee that's really rude mister." Murata fought the urge to apologize as the boy had intruded on his dream to begin with.

"My rudeness is none of your concern, who are you?"

"Rudeness is everyone's concern mister," the boy shook a small finger at him disapprovingly.

"Fine," Murata sighed a long suffering sigh before continuing in an overly chipper tone, "Oh why hello there nice to meet you."

"See that didn't kill you did it?" The boy's grin returned.

"Quite," Murata spoke dryly, "Now who the hell are you?"

"Me?" the boy pointed at himself cheekily, "I'm you're past, present, and future."

"What? If this wasn't a dream I'd be accusing you of being too young to be drunk enough to come up with a line like that."

"Hey mister, what color are my eyes?" The boy turned his face up to Murata giving him an unobstructed view of his eyes.

"Blu… Gree…I … I don't know," Murata stared dumbfounded at the boy. It wasn't that they boy's eyes changed colors but as soon as Murata tried to speak the color out loud his mind interpreted it as different color.

"Don't worry mister that's normal. Your past, present and future are all vying for your attention. But it's always blonds isn't it?"

"What?"

"I said it's always blonds, the ones who mark big changes for you." The boy picked at his hair distractedly.

"I …"Murata sputtered unable to think of a response that didn't seem stupid or childish.

"You've drawn a hard lot all this time and it's not over yet."

"How can you know all this?" Murata demanded.

"Hello mister past, present and future. Maybe you should sit down you're looking pretty pale." Shaking his head a bit and reminding himself it was a dream, Murata sat on the crooked tree branch he'd always favored.

"Why are you here?"

"Now that's a good question mister." The boy rocked back on his heels.

"Are you going to answer it then?" Irritation leaked out of Murata.

"Where are you sleeping?" The looked out over the horizon, seeming without a care that Murata was wishing less than pleasant things on him.

"What does that… the sandstorm." Murata paused remembering the sensation of sand wrapping around him as he tried to drag Wolfram along.

"It's a big change, a bunch of choices will have to be made and I can't tell you which the right ones are. And you don't even get to make most of them. But I bet you'll do what you've always done. He'll need your help, your guidance." The sky seemed to darken while the boy spoke.

"What's going on?" Murata stared at the boy who was grinning at the coming darkness.

"I've gotta go mister, good luck!" And with that Murata woke up. The first thing he made out was Wolfram's back too him and then a voice speaking.

"We've been waiting for you… Wolfram." The man speaking came into focus and all Murata could manage was a curse.

"Shit."

*****

AN: Phew another chapter done, this was a toughie. I'm really not happy with it but I know you guys have been waiting a while. Big transition chapter hopefully I haven't turned off any readers with the... I suppose you'd call it a twist. Well thoughts?


	27. Chapter 27

Rated M for foul language, alcohol usage, dark themes, and homosexual sex. If you are not mature enough to deal with these please turn back now.

Chapter 27

Wolfram stared at the black clad man in front of him. Even thought he didn't look particularly malevolent, energy practically radiated off of him and the fact that he knew Wolfram's name set the blond on edge. Murata was stirring behind him and the man's guards looked ready to lash out at a moment's notice.

Despite the clearly tense aura of the room the man in black stepped forward gracefully, extending his hand palm up to Wolfram as though a fight wasn't near breaking out. The guards drew in sharp breaths; clearly the man was doing something unexpected. Options weighed out in Wolfram's head. He could attack the man with his bare hands and hope to over power him, try to speak to him like a rational calm individual, or just ignore the situation as a figment of his imagination. The ever growing tightness and pain in his chest lessened the desirability of attacking as it was hardly intimidating to hack blood all over one's enemy. And no matter how tempting it was to believe it all a hallucination the stale air and feel of dirt shifting under his boots were too real to ignore.

"What the hell is going on?" Wolfram growled out not taking his eyes off the men in front of him. The guards exchanged confused looks, clearly not having understood a word Wolfram had said.

"Ah so I've got the right tongue then," the man in black words were a question but the tone was a statement with the hint of a scholar's fanaticism. Wolfram only glared at him, silently demanding an answer. "Oh of course you are confused, both of you," he glanced over Wolfram's shoulder to observe Murata as the sage sat up awkwardly. "Please there is no need to be so on edge, this is a joyous moment."

"What?" Wolfram's glare transformed into a look of disbelief accompanied by a half snort from Murata. "How the hell is being kidnapped a joyous moment?!"

"Kidnapped?" The man in black cocked his head slightly to the side and stared at them, "Hum I suppose it would appear that way, but truly you are our honored guest."

"Guest?! Of who, a band of thugs?!" Wolfram shouted trying to ignore the prompting in the back of his head as to what sort of thugs would be made up of so many double blacks.

"No," the man replied calmly as thought he wasn't facing an immensely angered Wolfram, "You are a guest of the kingdom of Aapep."

"You lie! There is no such kingdom." As his temper rose Wolfram had to remind himself that fighting an unknown enemy in his current condition with Murata to protect would be very stupid.

"It is not surprising that you do not know of us, I imagine very few of your people would." He paused again to look a Murata who was starting to sit up slowly. "Though it is surprising that you have a child of the night with you."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Me, he's talking about me," Murata spoke, his voice a bit rough, "It's a very old term for double blacks."

"Ah you know a bit of the history," the man spoke with just a touch of excitement.

"You could say that." Murata fought down a sardonic smile.

"History lessen aside, if we are your guests then why the hell are we locked in a cell and why the pair of guards?" The man shifted a bit like guilty child under Wolfram's questions and hard glare.

"Ah my Liege is …wary of your presence and unusually protective of me. But I'm sure my Liege will come around shortly." Footsteps sounded rapidly from the hall causing the two guards to stiffen abruptly. A young girl poked her head into the room and upon catching sight of the man in black she trotted up to him and tugged on the hem of his clothing. He obediently crouched down to the girl's level so that she could whisper in his ear.

"Sadly," the man turned again to face Wolfram, standing as the girl's hand remained clutched to his hem, "My Liege has need of me. I truly had hoped to have more time to speak to you. Someone should be by shortly with some food and I shall return when I can. I'll leave a guard out side your door, if you need something tell them my name and I'll come as quickly as I can." The man made to leave before Wolfram spoke.

"And just what the hell is your name?"

"Jumoke." He left the room with the girl and guards in tow. The door shut solidly behind them and the clicking of a lock seemed to echo in the small room. A disappointed sigh passed though Wolfram's lips as he near collapsed on the cot next to Murata. His hands shook slightly and he hastily clasped them together in his lap.

"Wolfram?" Murata whispered gently not terribly surprised when Wolfram merely shook his head curtly. They sat in silence as Wolfram worked thought the feeling of helplessness that their encounter had arisen. It galled him to know that without his sword he was left with no viable way of fighting those who held them. He'd always made sure to have at least two ways of defending himself and those in his care, but with sickness ravaging his body and his sword lost to him he was more vulnerable than he'd been in decades.

He jumped when Murata placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Wolfram turned, expecting to hear some sort of sagely wisdom but only received a watery half smile. They sat like that till some time later a light knocking on the door roused them. Before either man could rise the door opened and one of the guards from earlier stepped into the room giving each of them a hard look. Behind him stood a woman again dressed in gauzy attire carrying a tray with some fruit and two bowls on it. Like the others she had a long main of black hair but her nervous eyes were a simple pale brown. She looked as though she wanted to place the tray on the table but was wary of getting too close to them.

"Guest indeed," Murata muttered under his breath. Finally, she walked haltingly to the table sat the tray down and all but fled the room. The guard followed her out and locked the door behind them. Wolfram watched the whole thing somewhat blankly. Murata took in the blonde's lack of interest before crawling around him to side off the cot. He stepped gingerly glad to discover a lack of injury from the sand storm and looked more carefully at the tray.

"Huh, food but no water. We must still be in the desert." When his words garnered no response from Wolfram he sat down next to him again. "Wolfram, you didn't get hit in the head did you?" The glare he received was at least some sign of life. A mumbled sentence left Wolfram's lips but was too low to make out. "What was that?"

"I'm sorry," his hair covered his face as he focused on the floor beneath his boots. Murata for his part was completely confused, an apology was rare enough from the former prince but he couldn't even figure out what he was apologizing for.

"Ah, and just what do you have to be sorry about?" This got Wolfram to turn startlingly pain filled green eyes to face him.

"What don't I have to be sorry about?! I dragged you and the others out to this fucking desert and now not only have we been captured but there's no telling where the others are," anger seemed to burn up the pain in his eyes but Murata found it easy to see that the pain was still Wolfram's driving emotion, "If I'd been man enough to just curl up and die in the castle this wouldn't be happening."

"Hum," Murata took in Wolfram's agitated breathing and chose his words, "Maybe, or maybe you'd be preparing for your wedding to Shibuya, or maybe I'd have tripped into the fountain at the shrine and drowned in a foot of standing water. You didn't drag me anywhere, I picked our destination and clearly they were waiting for you. Strange as that is. I think fate is conspiring against us," he paused with a slight smirk, "As usual."

"Fate? You actually believe in fate still with every thing you've seen and done?" Wolfram asked with a perplexed look on his face pointedly ignoring the reference to their captors apparently knowing who he was.

"Of course. I just no longer have any delusions that fate is anything other than some creative sadistic higher beings pulling our collective strings."

"Like Shinou Heika?" Even as he spoke Wolfram wondered what had made him ask that question.

"Ha, no. Shinou may be a sadist adept at pulling strings but he was still only a man."

"Then why did you do everything you've done if there is someone out there toying with us? The greater good? Shits and giggles?" Wolfram's voice was soft but earnest. It was clear that he had considered this line of thought before.

"Honestly blind foolish love." Murata expected some sort of loud reaction but wasn't altogether surprised when Wolfram merely nodded, strangely satisfied with the answer.

"Love is a pretty stupid emotion," a small pained smile spread across his face.

"The stupidest I've ever seen, but also the most powerful and the hardest to understand."

"I…" Wolfram looked up to ask Murata a question but paused to phrase it better; the sage just looked fondly at the man he was rapidly considering a close friend. "There have always been rumors about the great love between the First Maou and his Great Sage and well I couldn't help but wonder what the truth of it all was," Murata's eyebrows lifted curiously, this was not the line of questioning he'd expected.

"Odd time to ask but I suppose I could indulge your curiosity. Even if it does seem like a thinly veiled attempt at self distraction," a smile tugged at his lips as Wolfram flushed pink. "Once upon a time there was a young double black man who had watched his friends and family set off for a distant and unknown destination. Now surrounded only by people who feared the sight of his hair and eyes the young man turned inward and warded off others with a fortress of books and knowledge. The young man thought himself content never noticing the desperate loneliness growing within. While he sat untouched by the world the world changed around him. The darkness swelled and many blamed the double black for their misfortune. No longer so young, the man sensed this darkness and cared little for it nor the blame that had settled on his shoulders. The darkness grew and grew till the people sought to stop it and destroyed the double black's fortress of books with fire and hate. The man watched the flames and finally felt the loneliness that his books had kept at bay. He wandered without direction vaguely longing to join the family and friends he now assumed must be dead. He would have continued indefinitely but a strange thing occurred. A man with hair like the sun and eyes blue as the summer sky approached the double black without a trace of malice; he even treated him as an equal. They became friends, fought a war together and even started a country together. But the double black never realized that the blond man had stolen his heart till he held his friend while the blond man wept in his arms over the lost of his wife in childbirth. Instead of sorrow the double black felt elation and the emotion sickened him. He withdrew from his friend and resolved to live his life in penance for such horrible thoughts. But the blond was smart and unwilling to let go of the double black. He wrapped the double black in affection and warmth till he came willingly to the blond and his bed. For three years they loved more than the double black thought possible but it wasn't fated to last. The darkness had entered the blond's very soul….. Well you know the rest," Murata broke off, emotion welling in his eyes.

"I…I see. I'm sorry you two didn't have more time together." Wolfram spoke unable to stop thoughts of the years he'd spent with Yuri and how very short they seemed.

"Mmm still like they say better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all," Murata smiled to himself a bit.

"That's," Wolfram seemed to be having trouble forming words as his face contorted sourly, "that's the stupidest thing I think I've ever heard. What kind of brainless idiot believes that?!" Murata blinked at him owlishly before holding his hand over his mouth to stifle the giggles that threatened to escape in a most undignified way.

"Quite," A sly looked passed over Murata's face, "You know I've told you my story now what about yours?"

"What," Wolfram look genuinely confused, "My story? What in the seven hells are you talking about?"

"Your grandiose love story," the stricken look he received almost made Murata feel bad about asking, almost.

"This is hardly the time for that," at Murata's cocked eyebrow Wolfram dismissed the haughty tone he'd been using for a more melancholy one, "It doesn't really matter anyway does it? He doesn't love me any more than a child loves a pet."

"A pet?" Murata asked intrigued, if a little confused as well, "Not a friend or family member?"

"No. With friends there is a shared loyalty and ultimately either can shatter it at will. Family is always family and even when you hate them you love them. Pets….well pets are loyal to the children who keep them but too stupid to leave if the situation gets too bad, and even the most loving and caring child never really sees their pet as anything more than a pet."

"Hm you really do love him," Murata refrained from snorting, knowing first hand that love could make someone say the stupidest things.

"What! Of course I do! For fuck's sake if I didn't I'd have just used his naïve nature to con him into marrying me whether he wanted it or not!" Wolfram fumed.

"Well sometimes people do the right thing simply because it's right not because they are in love."

"Ha I assure you there are a couple dozen nobles who would swear to you that I'm not one of those people. Weller and Big Brother among them. I've always been the selfish one, after a while it's easier to play the role you've been given than it is to change people's opinions. But I suppose you'd know something about that."

"Indeed. Melancholy tales of love aside, I think perhaps we should try to figure out why exactly our hosts have decided to so forcefully acquire us as guests."

"You're right, especially seeing as I've seen more double blacks in the last few hours than I've seen in the entirety of my life."

"Hum that is a quandary… I suppose it's possible..." Murata trailed off clearly lost in thought. Wolfram allowed him a minute or so of this before his impatient nature took over.

"What's possible?" The urge to cross his arms in annoyance twitched along his muscles.

"Well we set out to find the double black trail… we just might have found the destination from all those years ago."

"But that isn't possible. That desert we were in has been mapped. I highly doubt anyone could have just missed a bunch of double blacks hanging around."

"Who or whatever caused that sandstorm is powerful, possibly as powerful as Shinou or heaven forbid Shibuya. There is a small chance that we aren't in Kansas any more Toto."

"Cans ass? What the hell are you going on about?" Wolfram burst out not fully processing Murata's meaning.

"I'm saying that we may no longer be in the world you grew up in."

"But… we're on Earth?" Still miffed Wolfram tried to focus on the important parts of Murata's words.

"Not likely but it is possible that we've crossed some dimensional wall." If he'd been a less composed person Murata would have burst out laughing at the gob-smacked look on Wolfram's face, as it were he just smirked a bit before continuing, "Maybe if you're lucky they want you to be their king."

"WHAT!!"

AN: Don't kill me I know it's on the short side but um life is full of life-y things that need to be taken care of at the moment. On a side note anybody attending A-Kon 21? If you are I'll be a Plants Vs. Zombies sunflower just roaming around on Saturday.


End file.
